Democrats think that Donald Trump can still be impeached, even after he left the office. It’s already in the hands of the Senate but the liberals may have just opened a Pandora’s box that can blow up in their face. If they can do this to Trump, his deplorable supporters can turn around and impeach Hillary Clinton next.
Anyone can be impeached
Democrats are acting really smug these days. They think that having control of the whole show lets them do as they please. They forget that the laws of physics can’t be broken, even by George Soros. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.
Then there is the law of Karma. The one that works out to “what comes around goes around.” They may want to think twice before opening Pandora’s box on impeachment because it could come back to haunt Hillary Clinton, just to pick one name from the hat. If Trump can be impeached retroactively, she can too. So can Eric Holder and Barack Obama. Democrats are warned to be careful what they ask for because they might get it.
One of the things about the whole distasteful process is that the Constitution gave the people the power to not only toss corrupt scoundrels out of public office, those who are officially impeached after conviction in the Senate can never hold office and abuse their position of authority ever again.
A big thing that most folks don’t realize is that the process is meant as punishment for an official who commits a “crime.” It isn’t meant to settle purely political disputes. For a second time, Donald Trump is looking at trumped up and overblown political charges, not criminal ones. The Clintons better beware.
According to the Constitution, “the President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States,” can be impeached. If you catch one committing “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors” you can put them on trial.
Some argue it can be done even after that person has left office. It isn’t official yet but the argument is a strong one. James Comey and Lois Lerner are watching nervously.
A bold warning
Our Founding Fathers were well aware that the provisions contained scary pitfalls. Alexander Hamilton issued a “bold warning of what will go wrong when impeachment is used for political punishments instead of strictly holding to the criminal terms.” When someone is impeached, it’s serious.
“In many cases it will connect itself with the pre-existing factions, and will enlist all their animosities, partialities, influence, and interest on one side or on the other; and in such cases there will always be the greatest danger that the decision will be regulated more by the comparative strength of parties, than by the real demonstrations of innocence or guilt.”
The way the process happens, once the House votes to approve one or more articles of impeachment, they become criminal charges. To be formally “impeached” the offender must be convicted of the crime after a trial in the Senate.
Traditionally, the chief justice of the Supreme Court presides. That’s why in the case of this latest kangaroo court convened against Donald Trump, Chief Justice Roberts decided not to have anything at all to do with it. The Democrats are serving as “Judge, Jury, and Executioner” this time around.
The whole question of whether or not someone can be impeached after they left office revolves around an obscure case from the 19th Century. William Belknap was secretary of war under President Ulysses S. Grant and he lived like a rock star on $8,000 a year, which prompted an investigation.
“Belknap’s luxury-loving first wife assisted a wheeler-dealer named Caleb Marsh by getting her husband to select one of Marsh’s associates to operate the lucrative military trading post at Fort Sill in Indian territory. Marsh’s promise of generous kickbacks prompted Secretary Belknap to make the appointment. Over the next five years, the associate funneled thousands of dollars to Marsh, who provided Belknap regular quarterly payments totaling over $20,000.” Facing impeachment, he quit. It didn’t do any good and he was convicted anyway.