On Impeachment

in #impeachment5 years ago

    Recently, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi officially announced an impeachment investigation after the President was found to be pressuring Ukraine's leader to investigate one of his political rivals (Joe Biden) and related family ties. Impeachment has, politically, faced some opposition due to the unlikelihood for the President to be convicted in the Senate due to political pressures, no matter what evidence of criminal activity may or may not exist.

    I fear this may not be applicable solely to the current president solely at this current time. Others, now or in the future, may need to be removed from office. Due to political pressures, this may not ever happen so long as Impeachment votes are politically untenable (even if people REALLY need to be removed from office for serious lawbreaking).

    What, then, could be the remedy? I shall propose this:

    Later publication of votes
  • Votes on these things should be made public (duh)
  • Not all people in office right now would want their votes released while in office
  • Release the voting records of each Representative and Senator from the Impeachment hearing individually when they become deceased or when they have signed a waiver stating that they would be okay with having their Impeachment voting record released
    Their records will still be made public, just not immediately. Article I Section 5 Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution allows for "excepting such Parts as may in their Judgment require Secrecy" from publication of House and Senate records. I would definitely argue that, to avoid public and political pressures, Impeachment votes need the secrecy of the people casting their votes.

    Each chamber of the legislature can make its own rules (Article I Section 5 Clause 2), so each chamber can determine what they want available to be published. If the Senate decides on its own that the results of an Impeachment trial ought not be available for publication, or delays such availability, that can be implemented specifically in and by the Senate.

    Does this solve all of our political problems? Nope. Does it reduce the influence of political parties and other politically corrupting bodies during a time of national exigency? Yes, which is all it needs to do.

    Okay, now like and subscribe and upvote and respond and share and other things that you would normally do with posts you read.

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