Conservative Scholars Argue Bush's
Wiretapping Is An Impeachable Offense
Think Progress
December 20, 2005
Conservative scholars Bruce Fein and Norm Ornstein argued yesterday on The
Diane Rehm show that, should Bush remain defiant in defending his
constitutionally-abusive wire-tapping of Americans (as he has indicated he
will), Congress should consider impeaching him.
QUESTION: Is spying on the American people as impeachable an offense as
lying about having sex with an intern?
BRUCE FEIN, constitutional scholar and former deputy attorney general in the
Reagan Administration: I think the answer requires at least in part considering
what the occupant of the presidency says in the aftermath of wrongdoing or
rectification. On its face, if President Bush is totally unapologetic and says
I continue to maintain that as a war-time President I can do anything I want
– I don't need to consult any other branches – that is an
impeachable offense. It's more dangerous than Clinton's lying under oath
because it jeopardizes our democratic dispensation and civil liberties for the
ages. It would set a precedent that … would lie around like a loaded
gun, able to be used indefinitely for any future occupant.
NORM ORNSTEIN, AEI scholar: I think if we're going to be intellectually
honest here, this really is the kind of thing that Alexander Hamilton was
referring to when impeachment was discussed.
UPDATE:
More from Knight-Ridder:
[Bush's] explanation fueled more anger over the domestic spying, and some
legal experts asserted that Bush broke the law on a scale that could warrant
his impeachment.
"The president's dead wrong. It's not a close question. Federal law is
clear," said Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University
and a specialist in surveillance law. "When the president admits that he
violated federal law, that raises serious constitutional questions of high
crimes and misdemeanors."
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