My congressperson today appeared on a Kellyanne Conjob-Less CNN and dropped a bombshell that “Trump is moving toward possible Impeachment.”
When asked to explain her comments she said…
Rep. Waters: These are not normal times, we have a President who has created chaos and division, so many questions about his conflicts of interests, lies about whether he has separated himself from his businesses he claimed he would separate himself from, not showing his tax returns, putting his arms around Putin, defending Putin, working with the Kremlin. I want to know, a lot of people want to know was there collusion between Putin and the Kremlin and this President? As they hacked our DNC, and DCCC and some of us, we want to know how deep does this go.
Brooke Baldwin then asked “where is the evidence” — which is pretty funny when Trump is saying the media has been “covering up terrorists attacks” even beyond Kellyanne’s “Bowling Green Massacre” and Sean Spicer still claims Trump had the “biggest inauguration crowd evah!” — however Maxine had a response.
Waters: We have investigations that have already started. We have an investigation in the Senate Intelligence committee, in the House you have investigations going on in several places, in several ways. This man is questionable. What I’m saying is, because we are suspicious, many of us, about who he is where he comes from, what his actions and all of his conflicts — this business of loving Putin and the Kremlim so much — we have to find out more about him. And some of that, I think, leads to the possibility of Impeachment. And I think that’s legitimate to say with everything we know at this point.
Baldwins says that is out of normal to call for Impeachment after “just two weeks.” Well as it turns out there were plenty of Congressmen on the other side of the aisle who did talk about Impeaching President Obama for far less transgressions.
Impeachment for offering someone a job
In May 2010, Republican Darrell Issa of California stated that the allegation that the White House had offered Pennsylvania Representative Joe Sestak a job to persuade Sestak to drop out of the Pennsylvania Senate primary election against Arlen Specter "is one that everyone from Arlen Spector to Dick Morris has said is in fact a crime, and could be impeachable".[4] With the possibility of becoming chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in January 2011, Issa said in October 2010 that the committee would not seek to impeach Obama.[5]
Impeachment to prevent Obama from doing things
In August 2011, Republican Congressman Michael C. Burgess of Texas agreed with a rally audience member that the impeachment of Barack Obama "needs to happen" in order to prevent Obama from "pushing his agenda". Burgess did not mention any grounds for impeachment.[6][7]
No one talking about impeachment to prevent Immigration reform
In June 2012, Senator Jon Kyl said on the Bill Bennett radio show that "if it’s bad enough and if shenanigans involved in it, then of course impeachment is always a possibility. But I don’t think at this point anybody is talking about that." when discussing the Obama Administration policy on immigration.[8] Now if it’s bad enough and if shenanigans involved in it, then of course impeachment is always a possibility. But I don’t think at this point anybody is talking about that.
Impeachment for "the most egregious cover-up in American history", Benghazi attack
In May 2013, Republican Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma stated that President Obama could be impeached over what he alleged was a White House cover-up after last year's attack in Benghazi, Libya.[9] Inhofe said that "of all the great cover-ups in history—the Pentagon papers, Iran-Contra, Watergate, all the rest of them—this ... is going to go down as most egregious cover-up in American history".[9] Republican Congressman Jason Chaffetz of Utah also stated in an interview that impeachment was "within the realm of possibilities" with regard to the September 11, 2012, attack in Benghazi, Libya, later clarifying that "it's not something I'm seeking" and that "I'm not willing to take that off the table. But that's certainly not what we're striving for."[10]
Impeachment requested by a towhall meeting audience member
In August 2013, Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma responded to a questioner in a town hall meeting, who had asserted that President Obama was failing to carry out his constitutional responsibilities, by saying that "you have to establish the criteria that would qualify for proceedings against the president... and that's called impeachment".[11][12] Coburn added, "I don't have the legal background to know if that rises to 'high crimes and misdemeanors', but I think you're getting perilously close".[11] Coburn did not specify what grounds he felt would support impeachment, but NBC News noted that Coburn "mentioned that he believes Department of Homeland Security officials have told career USCIS employees to 'ignore' background checks for immigrants". Coburn mentioned no evidence that substantiated his belief.[11]
Impeachment for being born outside the United States
At a town hall meeting with constituents, Congressman Blake Farenthold said that Obama should be impeached due to issues with Obama's birth certificate. Farenthold said that he thinks that "the House is already out of the barn on this, on the whole birth certificate issue."[13]
Dreaming of impeaching Obama
On August 19, 2013, Republican Congressman Kerry Bentivolio stated that if he could write articles of impeachment, "it would be a dream come true". To help in achieving that goal, he retained experts and historians.[14][15]
They talked about Impeaching Obama because of his “agenda”, “his immigration stance”, his supposedly “not doing immigration background checks” (which is a lie), for “Benghazi” because no other President has ever had a terrorist attack on September 11th and also his “his birth certificate” which was perfectly legitimate and legal. Compare that with the question of whether Trump’s long history of ethical challenges and corruption makes him unfit and whether Trump and his staff colluded with Russian intelligence to sandbag the Clinton campaign in order to steal the White House and put it under the Kremlin’s control.
I mean, Waters isn’t even saying Trump should be impeached, only that he should be investigated. And he should.
Wild though her underlying theory is, there is ample evidence to support the need for an investigation, particular when some in US intel were so worried about it they warned Israeli Intelligence not to share information with Trump before the election and frankly it’s far less insane than there being 1.9 Million (apparently invisible) people at his inauguration and 3 Million Phantom Illegal voters who stole the popular vote away from Trump.
This also follows the call by a former G. W. Bush ethics attorney warning Trump to abided by the emoluments clause of the Constitution or be Impeached, so Maxine isn’t really even the first person to bring this up. She’s just the first one in congress to do so.
Baldwin then quoted the White House response who said Waters statement was “Extreme Rhetoric, completely out of touch.” Yeah, that’s pretty rich isn’t it? She thought so too.
If the White House who has a leader in the President of the United States can lie, distort, confuse, cause polarization, they should ask me about whether I’m outrageous, or that somehow I’m doing something that’s quite unusual? I think that’s something they should ask themselves. This is a President who in a two-week period of time [who] has acted in an abnormal way. This is a President who said he was going to do things and then did not do them [Fiduciary Rule, Gutting Dodd-Frank, Dumping Coal Run-off in Rivers].
He’s attacked judges. Two judges now. And has talked about this judge because of the temporary order over the travel ban. He called him a “so-called Judge.” When Congressman John Lewis called him “illegitimate” he got upset, everybody got upset. But that’s literally what he said about this judge, when he calls him a “so-called” judge questioning his legitimacy. So they dare not ask me if I am outrageous, I ask them “Don’t you think this President is outrageous?”
Mic Drop. Boom!