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packman

(16,296 posts)
Sat Feb 1, 2020, 11:24 AM Feb 2020

A short read about Founding Fathers views on impeachment

Many Constitutional Convention delegates agreed with the assertion by George Mason of Virginia that “no point is of more importance … than the right of impeachment” because no one is “above justice.”

In the discussions leading to the decision to add the impeachment clause to the Constitution, a recurrent reason was raised: concern that the president would abuse his power. George Mason described the president as the “man who can commit the most extensive injustice.” James Madison thought the president might “pervert his administration into a scheme of [stealing public funds] or oppression or betray his trust to foreign powers.” Edmund Randolph, governor of Virginia, said the president “will have great opportunitys of abusing his power; particularly in time of war when the military force, and in some respects the public money will be in his hands.”

Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania worried that the president “may be bribed by a greater interest to betray his trust and no one would say that we ought to expose ourselves to the danger of seeing [him] in foreign pay.” James Madison, himself a future president, said that in the case of the president, “corruption was within the compass of probable events … and might be fatal to the Republic.”

Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts pointed out that a good president will not worry about impeachment, but a “bad one ought to be kept in fear.”

And the one that is the most foreboding:

A final word from the founding that has special resonance to the Senate’s current discussions: William R. Davie of North Carolina argued that impeachment was “an essential security for the good behaviour” of the president; otherwise, “he will spare no efforts or means whatever to get himself re-elected.”

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A short read about Founding Fathers views on impeachment (Original Post) packman Feb 2020 OP
Every Republican senator and representative should read this .. CatMor Feb 2020 #1
Yeah, but they didn't have a Dershowitz to set them straight world wide wally Feb 2020 #2
This was interesting. kentuck Feb 2020 #3
Thank you! Karadeniz Feb 2020 #4

CatMor

(6,212 posts)
1. Every Republican senator and representative should read this ..
Sat Feb 1, 2020, 11:28 AM
Feb 2020

trumps attorneys should be reading it too.
Thank you for this excellent post.

kentuck

(110,950 posts)
3. This was interesting.
Sat Feb 1, 2020, 11:44 AM
Feb 2020

Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania worried that the president “may be bribed by a greater interest to betray his trust and no one would say that we ought to expose ourselves to the danger of seeing [him] in foreign pay.” James Madison, himself a future president, said that in the case of the president, “corruption was within the compass of probable events … and might be fatal to the Republic.”

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