Impeachment Gaining Attention in Congress

Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Texas, recently handed out copies of a book that has been described by its authors as the “articles of impeachment” for Barack Obama, and suggested that special investigations, and possibly prosecutions, are needed over Fast and Furious, Benghazi and other Obama scandals.

But Stockman is not the only member of Congress to discuss impeachment in response to the actions of Obama and his administration. A total of 15 members have discussed this idea recently.

Rep. Bill Flores, R-Texas, was speaking at a town hall meeting when he considered the idea. A video of his comments was posted at the Western Center for Journalism.

“I’ve looked at the president. I think he’s violated the Constitution. I think he’s violated the Bill of Rights,” he said.

He said at some point a decision must be made. 

 “I think if the House had an impeachment vote it would probably impeach the president.” 

But he noted there are only 46 members of the GOP in the U.S. Senate, where an impeached president would be put on trial. 

To obtain a conviction, the prosecuting team must have 67 votes, and he wasn’t sure that even all of the GOP members would vote to convict. 

Other members of Congress who have made comments about impeachment include:  Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.; Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.; Rep. Kerry Bentivolio, R-Mich.; Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas; Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla.; Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah; Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.; Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn.; R-Texas; Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas; Rep. Trey Radel, R-Fla.; Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa; and Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla. 

 “I think he”s breaking the law if he strikes without congressional approval,” Hunter told the Washington Times regarding Obama’s plan to bomb Syria. “And if he proceeds without Congress providing that authority, it should be considered an impeachable offense.” 

Read the definitive case for removing Barack Obama from office in “Impeachable Offenses” by Aaron Klein and Brenda J. Elliott.

WND previously reported Coburn’s statement that Obama is “perilously close” to qualifying for impeachment. 

Speaking at the Muskogee Civic Center in Oklahoma, the senator said, “What you have to do is you have to establish the criteria that would qualify for proceedings against the president, and that’s called impeachment.” 

Coburn said it’s “not something you take lightly, and you have to use a historical precedent of what that means.” 

“I think there’s some intended violation of the law in this administration, but I also think there’s a ton of incompetence, of people who are making decisions,” he said. 

A constituent then responded, “Even if there is incompetence, the IRS forces me to abide by the law.” 

Coburn said he agreed. 

“Those are serious things, but we’re in a serious time,” he said. “I don’t have the legal background to know if that rises to high crimes and misdemeanor, but I think they’re getting perilously close.” 

Days earlier, Bentivolio said it would be a “dream come true” to impeach Obama. 

Bentivolio told the Birmingham Bloomfield Republican Club Meeting, “You know, if I could write that bill and submit it, it would be a dream come true.” 

He told constituents: “I feel your pain and I know. I stood 12 feet away from that guy and listened to him, and I couldn’t stand being there. But because he is president I have to respect the office. That’s my job as a congressman. I respect the office.” 

Bentivolio said his experience with the president caused him to consult with attorneys about what it would take to remove Obama from office. 

Cruz responded to a question about impeachment after a speech. 

“It’s a good question,” Cruz said. “And I’ll tell you the simplest answer: To successfully impeach a president you need the votes in the U.S. Senate.”

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