“The man has committed crimes that do not warrant his staying in office,” said Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst.

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Eric Gay / AP Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst speaks during the signing of a water fund bill, in Austin, Texas, May 28, 2013.

Texas’ incumbent Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, the second-highest elected official in the state, called Monday night for the impeachment of president Barack Obama at a Tea Party forum for candidates in the lieutenant governor’s race.

“This election is about protecting you and your freedoms, which are given to you by God, but which are being trampled on by Barack Obama right now. I don’t know about you, but Barack Obama ought to be impeached,” Dewhurst said. “Not only for trampling on our liberties, but what he did in Benghazi is just a crime.”

Dewhurst lost a 2012 Senate primary to Tea Party darling Ted Cruz and has since moved to shore up support among conservative elements in the GOP, according to the Texas Observer, which first reported Dewhurst’s statements.

[Texas Tribune]