Barletta’s communications director says impeachment proceedings would be 'harmful.' GOP pol raises Obama impeachment

Rep. Lou Barletta says the House “probably” has the votes to impeach President Barack Obama.

“He’s just absolutely ignoring the Constitution, and ignoring the laws and ignoring the checks and balances,” the Pennsylvania Republican said of Obama on the Gary Sutton radio show on Monday. “The problem is, what do you do? For those that say impeach him for breaking the laws or bypassing the laws — could that pass in the House? It probably could. Is the majority of the American people in favor of impeaching the president? I’m not sure.”


The Democratic National Committee seized on the comment. “Republicans in the House are clearly committed to playing politics and relying on outrageous rhetoric instead of doing the job they were elected to do – standing up for the interests of the American people,” DNC spokesman Ian Sams told the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader.

Barletta’s communications director has since clarified the statements, saying impeachment proceedings would be “harmful.”

Tim Murtaugh told the Times-Leader that Barletta’s “full answer is this: ‘Could that pass the House? Probably. Would the Senate ever convict? Certainly not. There’s not the will nationally to remove the president, so would it be wise to pursue that? Or would it be harmful to the country? Surely the latter.’ He is not advocating or proposing it.”

Barletta’s impeachment comment grew out of a discussion on illegal immigration. The House Homeland Security Committee member has emerged as a tough voice on immigration, and Sutton led into Barletta’s remarks by saying some in Washington suggest that “immigration and illegal immigration are the same thing.” Barletta joined a group of Republicans last year in speaking out against the immigration bill that passed the Senate.