- A top aide to President Obama said its possible that Obama could be impeached by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. House Speaker John Boehners decision to proceed with a lawsuit against the president has opened the door to the third presidential impeachment in the nations history, Senior Adviser Dan Pfeiffer told reporters at a Friday breakfast sponsored by the Christian Science Monitor. Impeachment is a very serious thing that has been bandied about by the recent Republican vice presidential nominee and various others in a very un-serious way, he said, referring to former Alaska governor Sarah Palin. Boehner has said he disagrees with that strategy, but Pfeiffer said it would be foolish to say Republicans would not consider going down that path. Pfeiffer said the president did not welcome the prospect of impeachment and was quick to add that no one has alleged anything that is even six universes from what is generally considered to be an impeachable offense. Boehner spokesman Michael Steel called Pfeiffers comments a fundraising exercise for Democrats. We have a humanitarian crisis at our border, and the White House is making matters worse with inattention and mixed signals, Steel said. It is telling, and sad, that a senior White House official is focused on political games, rather than helping these kids and securing the border. A CNN/ORC poll released Friday shows 35% of Americans favor impeachment, which is about the same support for efforts to impeach Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush. Pfeiffer noted that a majority of Republicans -- 57% -- favor impeaching Obama. Impeachment is the bringing of charges against a president or federal judge by the House of Representatives. A president can only be removed after a trial on those charges by the Senate. Boehner has chosen a less drastic approach with a plan to sue Obama over his decision to delay enforcement of a provision in the Affordable Care Act requiring employers to provide health insurance. That plan passed the House Rules Committee Thursday, clearing the way for a vote on the House floor. GOP lawsuit against Obama could outlast his presidency Pfeiffer said the lawsuit wont have an impact on how the president uses his executive authority. In fact, he said, the threat of lawsuits validates that Obamas executive actions are far from the small ball that some have accused it of being. usatoday/story/news/politics/2014/07/25/obama-impeachment-dan-pfeiffer/13150969/
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 15:50:33 +0000
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