Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperSwag
Me and my friends discussed this the other day. If Trump does something impeachable and the republicans choose not to impeach and keep their power in tact. Is their a higher power that can rule over them? Say maybe, the supreme court?
What if Trump commits treason for example, but Ryan and Mcconel enjoy his swift EO moves and decide not to impeach. Can the supreme court be like "nah he's out".
Swag:
I'm not a constitutional scholar, but I don't believe the Supreme Court justices can remove a President from office. That power, (i.e. the power to impeach), is reserved exclusively for Congress. Members of the House would vote articles of impeachment - which is the equivalent of formally indicting the President - and he is then tried in the Senate. A majority vote in the Senate (for conviction) would remove the President from office. (If a majority of senators vote not to convict - as was the case with Bill Clinton back in 1998 - then the President remains in office.) The Supreme Court, as far as I know, is not constitutionally empowered to remove a President from office.
There is one area where Trump might be - and I emphasize "might be" - in danger of impeachment. That's this "Russia" business. Trump is insisting that there's nothing improper in his dealings with Russia, the news is fake, and everybody - including the press and Congress - should forget about it and move on. This is reminiscent of what Nixon's press secretary initially said about Watergate - that it was a "third rate burglary" that the White House "had absolutely nothing to do with." Nixon (and Bill Clinton) proved that a President is capable of looking the American people right in the eye and lying through his teeth.
I'm not saying Trump is Nixon or Trump is lying, but if he's totally clean about Russia then he should have no problem with Congress - our elected representatives - taking a close look at the situation and letting the chips fall where they may.
Last edited by Alan C. Lawhon; 02-18-2017 at 01:55 PM.