Michigan Congresswoman To File Impeachment Resolution Against Trump
I will compliment these new freshman Democrats, they certainly know how to manipulate the media and get quite a bit of attention. Although we must admit it is not hard to manipulate the “news” media if you are saying something bad about President Trump.
According to the Detroit News freshman Michigan congresswoman Rashida Tlaib announced yesterday that she plans to file a resolution calling for the impeachment of President Trump. That resolution states no factual charges against the President for impeaching him but asks the House Judiciary Committee to investigate grounds so they can attempt to find charges. We must remember though that impeachment is a political tactic not a legal one.
She was quoted in the article stating:
I can't wait to be able to file this resolution because I think a transparent and open investigation into the president's dealings is important…There is a sense of urgency on my part and many of us…I think every single colleague of mine agrees there's impeachable offenses. That's one thing that we all agree on. We may disagree on the pace. We may disagree that we have to wait for certain hearings, but at the same time, I think they all know the dangers of allowing President Trump to continue to violate our United States Constitution.
What I found most interesting is when she made the following statement:
For me as a member of Congress, it is so important to me that I check this president and even my colleagues when I feel like they are not abiding by the United States Constitution and upholding their oath…You know what we call that back home in Michigan? We call that pay to play
The question is will she hold herself up to that same standard, one of which is pay to play. Among other news outlets The Washington Free Beacon reported that Ms. Tlaib paid herself $45,500 from campaign funds, $17,550 of those payments were made to herself following her election.
According to the Federal Elections Committee (FEC) provisions they state:
If the candidate wins the primary election, his or her principal campaign committee may pay him or her a salary from campaign funds through the date of the general election, up to and including the date of any general election runoff…If the candidate loses the primary, withdraws from the race, or otherwise ceases to be a candidate, no salary payments may be paid beyond the date he or she is no longer a candidate.
An FEC spokesperson reiterated that a candidate can pay themselves a salary from campaign funds after the general election only for activity that occurred up to the day of the election. It appears from the records that Tlaib cut herself a check in the amount of $2,000 on Nov. 16 and another one on December 1st in the amount of $15,500. Those dates are after the election and well above the average of what she was paying herself during the campaign.
Ms. Tlaib will you resign from your seat due to these unexplained and allegedly illegal transfers of money from campaign funds to yourself? “You know what we call that back home in Michigan? We call that pay to play” Sounds like pay to play to me.
Ms. Tliab this is a test to see how ethical you truly are. In the case of President Trump you have no evidence on which to base you impeachment resolution you are just asking for a fishing expedition. In your case there appears to be actual evidence that you paid yourself to play with other people’s money intended to be spent on campaign expenses.
If the records are correct and she has no good explanation I can guarantee she will not live up to the ethical standards she wants the other team to live up to so I asked myself how can she be thrown out of office.
Can a member of Congress be impeached?
The answer is no.
But members of the Senate and House of Representatives can be removed from office through a different process involving only the chamber of Congress in which they work.
Under Article I, Section 5, clause 2, of the US Constitution, a Senator or Representative may be expelled if there is a formal vote on a resolution agreed to by two-thirds of the members of the Senate or House body who are present.
You can read it yourself, Article I, Section 5, Clause 2 states:
Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two thirds, expel a member.
The question is will Ms. Tlaib be the ethical person she purports herself to be, the answer will be no. The second question is will the House be the ethical people they say they are and vote to remove her from office, again sadly the answer is no.
So it appears we in Michigan will be saddled with another unethical person in Congress. She has plenty of company in that House and on that team.
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