House postpones Biden impeachment vote, sending matter to committees
This sends the impeachment resolution to committees which could in turn bring this up for a vote in the House.
What, specifically, is the high crime and misdemeanor that justifies the impeachment of a PotUS?
Reminder of what is stated in the CotUS :
Article II, Section 4: The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors .
Treason and bribery are the examples given and set the bar for the meaning of high crimes and misdemeanors.
As predicted, the precedent for impeachment has been watered down to the point where impeachment is no longer a tool to remove a rogue PotUS but rather a partisan tool designed to merely inflict political damage.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
WASHINGTON — The Republican-controlled House voted Thursday to send a resolution to impeach President Joe Biden to a pair of committees, delaying a vote that has created massive headaches for Speaker Kevin McCarthy and sparked a nasty round of GOP infighting.
The House voted 219-208 along party lines after Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., a conservative hard-liner, huddled with McCarthy, R-Calif., on Wednesday night and agreed to forgo her push to force an impeachment vote this week. Boebert's resolution was "privileged," meaning it would have had to receive a floor vote within days without a deal with leadership.
By referring the matter to two committees — Homeland Security and Judiciary — Republicans headed off a hasty impeachment vote that most likely would have failed on the floor, infuriated conservative activists and exposed divisions in the already fragile GOP majority.
Thursday's action only delays what many see as an inevitable vote in the coming months on whether to impeach Biden. Boebert has threatened to file a "privileged resolution every day for the rest of my time here in Congress" unless the committees move rapidly to take up impeachment.
McCarthy and other Republicans had argued that a quick impeachment vote would be "premature" if it took place before Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, wrap up their sprawling investigations into Biden, his family and his administration.
The Constitution states that a president can be impeached and removed from office for "high crimes and misdemeanors." Boebert's impeachment resolution says Biden should be impeached over what she called his failure to secure the southern border with Mexico — which Boebert argues have led to violent crime and the fentanyl crisis.
Speaking to reporters after Thursday's vote, Boebert argued that her actions this week forced her party to launch an impeachment investigation.
"Nothing happens without force. And sometimes you have to shake things up to actually effect change. Washington, D.C., is broken. I came here to fix it," Boebert said on the steps of the Capitol. "And my actions to call up my privileged resolution made way to begin an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden."
She said she hopes that the committees can complete their probes and that articles of impeachment could be brought to the floor "this year."
McCarthy said he didn't give Boebert a timeline because he doesn't determine how quickly committees do their work. And he said that if GOP lawmakers decide to unilaterally force impeachment votes without the support of colleagues, "they probably won't go anywhere."
"Because I think we work as a team, not as individuals," he said.
Top Democrats argued that House Republicans' actions this week demonstrated the GOP is beholden to "MAGA extremism" and Donald Trump. On Wednesday, Republicans voted to censure Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., one of Trump's fiercest critics, for his role in investigations into the former president.
"House Republicans are focused on their extremism and their conspiracy theories and bending the knee to Donald Trump," Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters Thursday.
"House Republicans have no agenda, no vision, no plan to deal with the economy, job creation, health care, gun safety or anything that matters to the American people," he said, "and that's what this week once again shows."
Scott Wong is a senior congressional reporter for NBC News.
Kyle Stewart and Rebecca Kaplan contributed.
Trump is off topic.
This is a specific question on the justification to call for an impeachment of Biden.
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If you were a member of Congress, would you draft articles of impeachment for Biden ... and, if so, what are the counts that qualify as "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors"?
Yes I would. The reasons are obvious and several. Don't run and hide behind some silly rule.
But before I answer that, what are the counts that qualify as "Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors" against Trump in the two failed attempts to impeach him?
Trump is off topic. Follow the Red Box rules. Only warning.
State the reasons.
Taking millions in bribes from foreign countries through several shell companies (in an attempt to hide it) in return for exerting political influence.
This text from Hunter alone is enough for impeachment.
Brandon needs to be impeached, period. I don't really give a damn if Democrats and leftists pull their normal BS and stone wall it in the Senate. This isn't one of their political for show only impeachments. Brandon using his position of power to extort money isn't legal.
You might have a point for impeachment, but it will have to be borne out by facts (details). For instance: What commitment is being discussed there? Was V.P. Biden actually present (beside) Hunter? And what power did Biden (if actually involved) have to bring against "Z"?
Also, that 'discovery' is against a V.P. Biden and not against President Biden (if it is legitimate). How can it be honored against a sitting president?
Finally, I presume you would like WITNESSES at the senate trial, but, but, but. . . remember good ole Mitch McConnell did not allow witnesses in his "show."
How about that (whataboutism)?
So, per some people, a reason for impeaching Biden is because God says to do so?
(I know you do not hold that position.)
Clearly Boebert has gotten her politics interlaced with her religious passions! It is as if she is saying God told her that she will a success in congress, if she displays spunk!
RESOLUTION
Impeaching Joseph R. Biden, Jr., President of the United
States, for high crimes and misdemeanors.
Not to worry.
There is about a ZERO per cent chance that Biden will be removed from office through impeachment.
Do you think this is a proper use of the impeachment provision of the CotUS?
Nope.
I don't think it matters what you or I think about it because we are not a party to the action.
I don't think there is a snowball's chance in hell that Biden will ever be removed via impeachment and won't waste energy getting worked up over it.
There is enough folks seeming almost apopletic over it.
The point of the seed is to discuss the proper use of impeachment in this case.
Of course nothing we say here matters in the big picture. I think we all understand that the net opinions of NT will not influence the impeachment proceedings.
Okay.
I'll come back when impeachment actually occurs or is at least passed by vote in the House.
After seeing the articles of impeachment I will be able to offer you my opinion on whether they are proper or not.
I am not worried about Biden being thrown out of office, especially since he is fully aware of conservatives scrutinizing his every move. (Something Donald Trump should have taken notice and appropriate actions to avoid twice.) It is unfortunate and disturbing that several impeachment resolutions, plural, are bandied around as a tool of distraction against an officer of the government doing his job properly, nevertheless.
The threat of impeachment is to deter. The process of impeachment is to manage "unreasonable" and "unforgivable" misdemeanors and crimes committed by officers of the government. Policy differences (when they occur and they do often) are par for the course between congress, administrations, and courts. Even anger and outrage too. But when it comes to misdemeanors and crimes in office, congress can consider itself:
What would it take for a congressperson to be kicked out of a term in office?
It is likely something something of that type and degree of activity or of course worse would be sufficient to remove a president. Not a policy difference or a president holding a different stance on a border issue than congress!
The hard part for Boebert's 'team' will be proving this charge to a democratic party led senate, and may be even so to some critical-thinking republicans (in the House).
Hyperbole flies with the uneducated or party voter, but does not hold up when it is false.