Who Would the Founders Impeach?
As discussion of removing Trump ripples through the political world, a legal scholar argues that impeachment is both an essentially American tool and widely misunderstood.
It’s hard to find defenders of impeachment—or at least, it’s hard to find good faith, consistent defenders of impeachment.
Just look at former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who once voted to impeach President Bill Clinton for obstruction of justice, only to that it’s impossible for a president, and in particular Donald Trump, whom he supports, to obstruct justice. Most of the hypocrisies are more garden variety. When Republicans seek to impeach a Democratic president, Democrats howl that it’s unscrupulous naked politics; when a Republican is in the White House, Democrats rediscover the value of impeachment, while the GOP suddenly recognizes its recklessness.
