Posted on 07/26/2018 8:26:37 AM PDT by gattaca
Fox News legal analyst Andrew Napolitano said Thursday that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein's alleged ethical violations are not “impeachable offenses.”
“Improperly signing off on a [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] warrant, staying in a position of a conflict of interest — where you could be a witness in a case and you’re managing the case — those are good arguments for ethical violations but not impeachable offenses,” Napolitano said on Fox News's "Fox & Friends."
The former judge discussed the articles of impeachment introduced by a group of conservative House lawmakers late Wednesday against Rosenstein, the top Justice Department official overseeing special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), the head of the House Freedom Caucus, and 10 co-sponsors introduced five articles of impeachment shortly after meeting with Justice officials.
The lawmakers accuse Rosenstein of having a conflict of interest in Mueller’s investigation because he could be called as a “witness” in the ongoing probe into potential surveillance abuse against former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. Rosenstein signed off on the FBI surveillance renewal application to wiretap Page.
Napolitano said Thursday he often agrees with the small group of conservative lawmakers.
“On this, I profoundly disagree with them,” Napolitano added. “It doesn’t matter what I think. The Constitution says there’s a very, very narrow basis for impeachment and that’s intentional.”
“Treason — this is directly from the Constitution — bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors,” Napolitano added.
Democrats said on Wednesday that there is “no chance” that Rosenstein would be forcibly removed, calling the articles of impeachment “a direct attack on the special counsel’s investigation.”
"It is a panicked and dangerous attempt to undermine an ongoing criminal investigation in an effort to protect President Trump as the walls are closing in around him and his associates," said Reps. Jerrold Nadler (N.Y.), Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Adam Schiff (Calif.), top Democrats on the House Judiciary, Oversight and Government Reform, and Intelligence committees, respectively, in a joint statement.
"It is certainly not, as its sponsors claim, a principled attempt to conduct oversight of the Department of Justice, because House Republicans have refused to conduct oversight of any aspect of the Trump Administration, except where the inquiry might distract from their failed agenda, undermine law enforcement, and serve the interests of President Trump," they added.
but Trump beating the Polyester Pants off of Hillary is
This guy’s full of it!
Speaking like a second year law student again.
Well, if the goofball running the DOJ was willing to sanction or fire Rosenstein, this wouldn’t be happening.
Isn’t a FISA warrant signed under penalty of perjury? Isn’t perjury a criminal offense?
That and blatant obstruction of justice. Only a deep state rat would say what he’s saying!
Only a criminal offense if your a conservative.
-PJ
Fox news is gone, they are no better then any other msm. I don’t even watch them anymore. They have two token conservatives, Hannety and Tucker, and the rest are outright liberals or rinos.
Okay, Judge.
Define “high crimes and misdemeanors”.
We’ll wait.
In the words of the Great Constitutional Scholar, Maxine Waters, “Impeachable offenses means whatever we say it means!”...............
“This guy’s full of it!”
NO! He’s full of $HIT!
If trump did his job none of this congressional posturing would be necessary
Judge Nap is failing as he ages.
This seems to be done as a ploy to "obstruct" the Constitutional oversight. So aren't the Deep Staters "obstructing" the Constitution?
Checks and balances have gone sideways, morphing into a political stand-off.
When will we have a permanent "Special Counsel", perpetually appointed, to thwart the Executive regardless of party?
If the F-I and D-J staged an actual coup d'état, it would not look a whole heluvalot different than their current antics.
You think his job is to give congress the means to impeach him?
I don’t care what the Nappy One says
I can't believe anyone really takes these clowns as serious as the take themselves.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.