Meet the Impeachment Crowd: 6 Republicans Who Want Obama Out
By ERIN DOOLEY and SCOTT WILSON16 hours ago
Has President Obama’s use of the “pen and phone” to circumvent Congress gotten out of hand?
Some members of the GOP seem to think so.
Even as the embattled president fights criticism over the escalating humanitarian crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border, the release of Arm. Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in return for five prisoners from Guantanamo Bay, and the botched rollout of the Affordable Care Act, a mounting chorus of Republicans are calling for impeachment.
Here’s a list of the high-profile Republicans who want to kick the president out of office:
Sarah Palin
Who Is She: 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee, former governor of Alaska, sometime reality show host.
What She Said: “Enough is enough of the years of abuse from this president. His unsecured border crisis is the last straw that makes the battered wife say, ‘No mas.’ Opening our borders to a flood of illegal immigrants is deliberate. It’s time to impeach.” (via Breitbert)
When She Said It: July 8, 2014
What Else You Should Know: This isn’t the first time Palin has alluded to impeachment. In 2013, she called Obama’s handling of the debt an “impeachable offense.” Her 2008 running mate, Sen. John McCain, isn’t quite so incendiary. In response to her comments, McCain said, according to today's Washington Post, “I respect always Sarah Palin’s views, but my particular view is that we should devote our energies to regaining the majority in the Senate. I saw the impeachment scenario with former President Clinton and it was not a good thing to do. The American people didn’t like it. The American people wanted us to do their work and that was overall opinion at the time. It did not sit well with the American people.” he respects “other people’s opinions."
Tom Tancredo
Who Is He: Former candidate for Colorado governor, 2008 Republican presidential hopeful, former congressman representing Colorado’s 6th Congressional District.
What He Said: “The case for impeaching and removing President Obama grows stronger each week, as the president continues to violate the constitutional limits on his executive powers. It is time for the Republican leadership to conduct an ‘intervention’ for a president who has become addicted to dictatorial behavior. Let’s stop being the enablers through silence for unconstitutional acts.” (viaWND)
When He Said It: Valentine’s Day 2014
What Else You Should Know: Tancredo also advocated for impeachment in 2010, calling Obama “a more serious threat to America than al Qaeda,”
Allen West
Who Is He: Former congressman representing Florida’s 22nd Congressional District, retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel.
What He Said: “Ladies and gentlemen, I submit that Barack Hussein Obama’s unilateral negotiations with terrorists and the ensuing release of their key leadership without consult — mandated by law — with the U.S. Congress represents high crimes and misdemeanors, an impeachable offense” (via the Washington Post)
When He Said It: June 4, 2014
What Else You Should Know: West’s military record isn’t entirely blemish-free. In 2003, he was fined for inappropriate interrogation tactics, including a simulated execution.
Joni Ernst
Who Is She: GOP Senate nominee in Iowa, Iowa state senator, Iowa Army National Guard lieutenant colonel
What She Said: “[President Obama] is absolutely overstepping his bounds. And I do think that he should face those repercussions. Whether that’s removal from office, whether that’s impeachment.” Ernst also said that Obama has “become a dictator” and “is not following our constitution.”
When She Said It: January 15, 2014
What Else You Should Know: Having won the primary, Ernst recently attempted to walk back her initial remarks, telling Yahoo News that she no longer believes Obama is a dictator. She said that “his repeated use of unilateral action sure makes him look like one … To be clear, I have not seen any evidence that the president should be impeached.”
Tom Coburn
Who Is He: Republican senator from Oklahoma, and physician.
What He 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.”… 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. … 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.”
When He Said It: August 21, 2013
What Else You Should Know: Coburn is known as a rather conservative senator. Repeatedly advocating for cuts to budgetary spending, Coburn has earned the nickname “Dr. No” for his obstruction to legislation.
The South Dakota Republican Party
Who Are They: 191 state party delegates, who voted to pass an official resolution.
What They Said: “WHEREAS, The president has violated his oath of office in numerous ways with the latest being the release of five terrorists in exchange for a soldier without consulting Congress as required by law … the president of the United States has willfully and wantonly lied to the American people telling them they can keep their insurance company, and they can keep their doctor under Obama Care, prior to an election … THEREFORE, be it resolved that the South Dakota Republican Party calls on our U.S. Representatives to initiate impeachment proceedings against the president of the United States.”
When They Said It: June 21, 2014
What Else You Should Know: Not all the group’s 367 delegates voted for the measure (in fact, 176 did not) – and they don’t’ necessarily speak for their elected representatives. The resolution’s effect is largely symbolic.
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