Donald Trump can’t even read
President Donald Trump does not appear to have ever read the Constitution, or for that matter, understood what it says. On Wednesday in the early morning, he took to Twitter, his virtual Diary of a Madman, to tweet: “The Mueller Report, despite being written by Angry Democrats and Trump Haters, and with unlimited money behind it ($35,000,000), didn’t lay a glove on me. I DID NOTHING WRONG. If the partisan Dems ever tried to Impeach, I would first head to the U.S. Supreme Court. Not only are there no “High Crimes and Misdemeanors,” there are no Crimes by me at all. All of the Crimes were committed by Crooked Hillary, the Dems, the DNC and Dirty Cops – and we caught them in the act! We waited for Mueller and WON, so now the Dems look to Congress as last hope!”
The Constitution is very clear. Article I, Section 2, provides at the end: “The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.”
Article I, Section 3, provides: “The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present. Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.”
Article II, Section 4 provides: “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.”
President Bill Clinton, Trump should be reminded, was impeached for lying under oath about a consensual sex act. The original investigation was over other matters. Impeachment charges consist of whatever the House, exercising its “sole Power of Impeachment,” deems appropriate to charge an individual with, and then the Senate through its “sole Power to try all Impeachments” decides to convict or not. There is no such thing as first going to the Supreme Court to try to get them to stop. Read the 5,000-word document and learn.
Daniel is a lawyer writing and teaching about SCOTUS, and is the author of the book “The Chief Justices” about the SCOTUS as seen through the center seat.