Posted on 11/13/2013 8:03:30 AM PST by bkopto
A Texas Republican plans to introduce a resolution of Articles of Impeachment for Attorney General Eric Holder on Thursday.
Rep. Pete Olson’s (R-Texas) office said this morning that “this was not a decision made lightly,” but comes with Holder’s “pattern of disregard for the rule of law and refusal to be forthright with Congress and the American people” since being held in contempt in June 2012.
That 255-67 vote on criminal contempt, which included 17 Democrats, was tied to the Fast and Furious scandal and marked the first time Congress has found an attorney general in contempt. A measure of civil contempt then passed the House 258-95.
The impeachment measure will reportedly hit at Fast and Furious again, as well as the IRS targeting of Tea Party groups and spying on reporters.
According to Fox News, House GOP leadership and the Judiciary Committee, helmed by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), are not on board with Olson’s effort. The Senate would have to convict Holder should the House vote for impeachment.
Original co-sponsors will be Reps. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.), Ted Yoho (R-Fla.), Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.), Larry Buschon (R-Ind.), Blake Farenthold (R-Texas), Randy Weber (R-Texas) and Roger Williams (R-Texas).
Olson is a member of the Republican Study Committee, a caucus of House conservatives.
But we don't have the votes to do it. It would only change the subject and the media would rally around this "attack on Obama." The media would engage in a non-stop blitz of how this is the hateful, racist Tea Pary crowd trying to destroy the wonderful Obama and the majority low information crowd would eat it up. The Obama care issue would disappear and the conservatives would, once again, lose. No. Stick with hammering on Obamacare non-stop. Don't change the subject from a winning issue. I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on this matter.
Your reasons are sound and your reply is as civil as any I’ve ever received.
The respect is mutual.
Thanks FRiend.
So your point is that the House should just back off? Or is your point that you're just smarter than I am, a more astute observer?
It is my recollection that Clinton's agenda was pretty much altered as it became dominated by the proceedings, and that several of his top operatives began jumping ship. Even Chrissy Matthews was tired of the Clintons over it.
I, for one, would enjoy the process being repeated, and even expanded.
Did the articles of Impeachement get filed, officially yet???
I have not heard a peep about this, and its Friday, well, way early on Friday...
At least Reuters picked up on this outside this website, and the original source linked to this discussion thread...
http://news.yahoo.com/house-republicans-try-impeach-u-attorney-general-holder-014011302.html
But nothing else so far that I have seen...
I am veginning to wonder if someone threw a monkey in the wrench here, and they didn’t file the articles yesterday for some reason...
I will be making a call this morning, first thing, to Olsen’s office and find out the true poop...
News of this, if it had been accomplished as planned would have really put a dent in the non-stop droning on about how srewed up ObamaCare is...
If anyone else knows anything, obviously feel free to chime in here...
I’ll be back in a little while with what I can find out...Probably around 8am CST, those staffers don’t usually start fielding constituency calls till about then if its a good day...
BRB...
Just got off the horn with Olsen’s office...
The procedure followed allowed the Articles of Impeachment to be filed with the House Clerk, as “H.Res. 411”
Now, I thought a “resolution” was a watered down procedure to make some politicians feel good about beating the drum on certain pet issues...
But that is not what this is as explained to me...
The H.Res. 411 will now go before the full Judicial committee for review and debate...
And since yesterday, we have had a few more Reps pile onto this effort...
So the process has begun, it will get its time before the committee, and hopefully a vote on it will occur soon...And then its off to the full house (Floor) for additional hair pulling and nashing of teeth...
The pin is pulled, so all we gotta do is toss it in the mix and watch the gomers run...
If anything call yer congress critter and let them know you expect them to get onboard, sooner than later...It has been filed, so there is no more excuses...Get this done!!!
If the Senate poops on this, so be it, Holder will still be impeached...If they follow through...
Accept no substitute!!!
You misremember history. The impeachment came after the 1994 by elections (in fact it was 1998). Clinton’s agenda was altered by Gingrich and the republican wins in 1994. Then Clinton had to triangulate and compromise (at least a smudge).
My point was simply that thinking it will make someone afraid or run away is naive. With the thugocracy in charge at the WH now we need to go for the juggler. The hydra has many heads. It is important to get the primary one before trying to chop the sides
Bill Clinton was popular with his half of the country but this isn’t happening this time around. The Dem voters have been bitten in the butt by their own Dear Leader and it really smarts. :-)
and for them the it only gets worse....;)
Here is the text:
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hres411/text
At every step from now on the resolution can be buried - the Judiciary Committee chairman can sit on it, or if it gets out of committee, Speaker Boehner can sit on it.
That’s essentially what happened when Rep. Kucinich’s articles of impeachment against President Bush.
“Kucinich had said that if his impeachment article was tabled he would simply propose another one. In June, he spent four hours on the House floor reading his longer resolution into the record, only to see it buried in committee.”
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/jul/16/nation/na-impeach16
Just for completeness here is the text of Kucinich’s H. Res. 1258:
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/110/hres1258/text
This resolution was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary (like H. Res. 411) where it was tabled and never debated.
Well, I believe th epolitical environment is a little more amiable, and if Bonehead decides to cave to the darkside of the force again...
I really hope that the good people of Ohio hear the call, and make an adjustment, at the very least...If not, then I am sure there can be other options to explore...
This has to get out of that committee and to the full House and a vote...That is the most I feel that will come of this, at this particular juncture...
You have described the "New Constitutionalism." The theory is that the independent branches have no 'authority' over each other.
The Republicans (and the SCOTUS) have taken this somewhat plausible theory a step too far. That is, not only will they not hold the Executive accountable, they allow the Executive to co-opt their constitutional prerogatives and add them to his own.
This is clearly one explanation of the SCOTUS refusal to hear Obama eligibility suits, as vetting the President is "none of their business," but Congress'!
Oh, that would be rich. I wonder if that would anger Congress enough to use their ability to strip cases from the USSC purview.
This is me, holding my breath until it comes true.
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