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Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren Is Close to Getting It

Submitted by davidswanson



Rep. Lofgren is sending the following letter to her constituents who urge her to back impeachment hearings. Please let her know that impeachment hearings are not a leap ahead to impeachment, and that they need not take long, given the evidence already publicly known. Point out to her that contempt is a process that could take months or years. Phone (202) 225-3072 – fax 202-225-3336.



Thank you for contacting me in support of impeachment. I understand that great passion and urgency is felt on this subject. When I voted to send H.R. 333 to the Judiciary Committee, I felt that it was the right thing to do. My decision was not based on fear of confronting either the President or Vice President. Rather, it was undertaken in an effort to conform to the requirements of the Constitution.



I have been involved in both of the modern impeachments in the House. First as a staff member in the office of my predecessor, Congressman Don Edwards, when the House Judiciary Committee reported out articles of impeachment against President Nixon. My second impeachment experience was as a Member of the House serving on the Judiciary Committee when Congress impeached President Clinton.



The standard for impeachment of a President or Vice President is very clear in the Constitution. The standard is “treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” While the impeachment of President Clinton gained majority support in the House, it did not comply with the requirements of the Constitution. I will never be involved in any impeachment effort that does not comply with the Constitution.

Clearly, a vote on H.R. 333 on the House floor after one hour of debate, as urged by Congressman Kucinich, would not have afforded the opportunity to explore and insure that Vice President Cheney’s conduct had met the standards in the Constitution on which to base impeachment.

I have strongly objected to many of the actions and policies of President Bush and Cheney. In fact, I believe that this is the worst administration in American history. It is abundantly clear that they have had an unrelenting objective to expand executive power at the expense of the authority of both the judicial and legislative branches. I oppose these efforts. However, to determine that these efforts meet the standards for impeachment in our Constitution would require more.

I recall that the impeachment inquiry into President Nixon’s behavior took more than half a year and that development of the facts were aided by information gained in Senate hearings held a year before the House Judiciary Committee vote. Substantial additional evidence was also provided to the Judiciary Committee by the special prosecutor investigating the administration.

As you may know, the House Judiciary Committee has voted on and reported out contempt citations for both Josh Bolton, the President’s Chief of Staff, and Harriett Myers, the former White House Counsel. I expect that the full House will consider these contempt citations before the end of the first session of this Congress. In the pursuit of this matter we may well find necessary information for the further consideration of H.R. 333. We will also find out whether the judiciary will assist the legislative branch in compelling the executive to produce information necessary for Congress to discharge its duties.

In my opinion, there is a tremendous need to undo the damage this administration has done to our country. The Democratic majority in the House is eager to place the legislative and judicial branches back in their traditional and appropriate roles as evidenced by our successful efforts to rewrite the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Should the nation choose both a Democratic President and Democratic Congress in the 2008 elections, the first order of business as far as I am concerned, is overturning what this administration has done to alter the traditional constitutional checks and balances, aided for the last 8 years by a Republican House. Should voters decide to return me to the House in the 111th Congress, I will be in the forefront of that effort. It is a task that I look forward to with eager anticipation.

Sincerely,

[Signature]

Zoe Lofgren Member of Congress



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