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.
What is with the Judge lately? Every response from him seems to be in opposition of Trump.
so do nothing, Judge? Reward incompetence. Turn the other cheek. Good solid advice from a once graying Judge now with Reagan hair. Now , if Fox nooz could just get him to wear high heels and a skirt
and to think, Trump passed you over for a SCotUS slot.. GOOD!!!
Once impeached. actually found guilty, not just accusations the President can have grounds for firing. Otherwise all he has are accusations.
He's not a dictator. Good thing because then you'd have one more thing to blame him for.
If you really wanted to point the finger at someone without balls to do something about this mess it should be Ryan and McConnell.
Not the job of congress to fire DOJ people. They work for pres.
Management responsibility is not dictatorship.
You use spin and emotional words because you can’t negate my argument which is a factual statement of his responsibility.
I don’t “disdain” him. i like him, voted for him, gave him money, and want him to drain the swamp. you seem to have a fantasy congress will do it. Good luck shirking responsibility.
Wasn’t this clown a magistrate in Camden County or something.
But....
Fed employees with access to highly classified material are ineligible for Federal employee union membership. So... the union obstacle to removal is not a show stopper.
He’s gone road on FNC. He can’t bring himself to take down his friends in the DOJ and FBI. In this case there are real criminal abuses and like his bud Gowdey, he can’t believe there would be corruption in their sainted FBI/DOJ.
You have this corruption because you have a bureaucracy that doesn’t answer to ANYONE and they know it.
Conspiring with the intelligence community to frame the President so the Democrats and RINOs can impeach him is treason.
The bar for removing appointed officials is much lower. You don’t need a new election. The president simply appoints a replacement. The congress can remove anyone they want other than president and vice president any time they want for any reason they want.
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