Remember this?
Daily Kos reader EmilyD reports writing to her Congresswoman, Ellen Tauscher, to urge support for the impeachment of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Take a look at how Tauscher answered:
The Attorney General serves at the pleasure of the president in a non-impeachable office. Unless convicted of an illegal act, the Attorney General cannot be removed from office without the president asking for or accepting his resignation. However, please be assured that I will keep your thoughts and concerns in mind as I review the circumstances surrounding recent allegations of impropriety within the Justice Department.
Sincerely,
Ellen O. Tauscher
Member of Congress
This is a goddamn embarrassment.
I do. EmilyD did. And now Ellen Tauscher does, too.
And here's the best news that could come out of the situation:
After re-reading the U.S. Constitution, and posting here for feedback from others I concluded that Tauscher was quite wrong on this urgent point. I sent her local office the following:
- A copy of the American Bar Association's "Impeachment: A Look at the Process. (Hat tip to MLDB)
- A copy of Professor Frank Bowman's NYT Op-Ed piece "He's Impeachable, You Know". (Hat tip to 8ackgr0und N015e)
- A copy of the Constitution (because she obviously needs it).
- A copy of my original letter requesting she start impeachment proceedings against Gonzales.
- Her office's response that Gonzales is not impeachable.
And as advised by mmacdDE, all pertinent excerpts are HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW!
Tauscher's response?
I apologize for inaccuracies contained in any earlier correspondence. I want to set the record straight on my actions. I am a co-sponsor of two bills to remove Gonzales from office. On May 22, I co-sponsored H. Res. 417, which declares that the House of Representatives and the American people have lost confidence in Attorney General Gonzales. It calls on the President to nominate a new candidate capable of serving as the head of the Department of Justice. Additionally, I am a co-sponsor of H. Res. 589, introduced yesterday by Rep. Jay Inslee of Washington, which directs the House Judiciary Committee to initiate an impeachment investigation of the Attorney General. The resolution requests a formal investigation of the facts surrounding the Attorney General's actions in order to allow Congress to determine whether articles of impeachment are appropriate.
EmilyD, ladies and gentlemen!