Tag Archives: impeachment

House Votes to Send Kucinich Impeachment Measure to Committee

Posted on June 13, 2008 by | Comments Off

On Wednesday, the United States House of Representatives voted primarily along party lines to send 35 articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush to the House Judiciary Committee. The vote will effectively kill US Representative Dennis Kucinich’s impeachment effort, as the committee likely will not hold hearings on the matter this year. A similar procedure was invoked last year to prevent debate on a measure aimed at impeaching Vice President Dick Cheney. Kucinich has expressed disappointment in the decision, arguing that his articles address war crimes and should not be taken lightly. Even Kucinich’s own party–the Democrats–have been unwilling to consider the measure claiming that they are already holding the Bush administration accountable.

None of Michigan’s republican representatives–including Grand Rapids resident Vern Ehlers–support the measure.

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Kucinich Introduces Articles of Impeachment against President Bush

Posted on June 11, 2008 by | 1 Comment

Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich has introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives containing 35 articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush. The resolution comes after a report to the Senate that outlined several instances in which the Bush administration distorted or fabricated intelligence on Iraq.

Last year, Kucinich introduced articles of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney. However, there has been no movement on Cheney’s impeachment as Democrats–including Michigan Democrat John Conyers who once supported impeachment–have said that impeachment is “off the table.”

Kucinich’s 35 articles of impeachment address a wide range of topics including the Iraq War, the government’s surveillance and detention programs, its Iran policy, and its domestic policies.

The articles are reprinted below:

“Article I

Creating a Secret Propaganda Campaign to Manufacture a False Case for War Against Iraq.

Article II

Falsely, Systematically, and with Criminal Intent Conflating the Attacks of September 11, 2001, With Misrepresentation of Iraq as a Security Threat as Part of Fraudulent Justification for a War of Aggression.

Article III

Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction, to Manufacture a False Case for War.

Article IV

Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Posed an Imminent Threat to the United States.

Article V

Illegally Misspending Funds to Secretly Begin a War of Aggression.

Article VI

Invading Iraq in Violation of the Requirements of HJRes114.

Article VII

Invading Iraq Absent a Declaration of War.

Article VIII

Invading Iraq, A Sovereign Nation, in Violation of the UN Charter.

Article IX

Failing to Provide Troops With Body Armor and Vehicle Armor

Article X

Falsifying Accounts of US Troop Deaths and Injuries for Political Purposes

Article XI

Establishment of Permanent U.S. Military Bases in Iraq

Article XII

Initiating a War Against Iraq for Control of That Nation’s Natural Resources

Article XIIII

Creating a Secret Task Force to Develop Energy and Military Policies With Respect to Iraq and Other Countries

Article XIV

Misprision of a Felony, Misuse and Exposure of Classified Information And Obstruction of Justice in the Matter of Valerie Plame Wilson, Clandestine Agent of the Central Intelligence Agency

Article XV

Providing Immunity from Prosecution for Criminal Contractors in Iraq

Article XVI

Reckless Misspending and Waste of U.S. Tax Dollars in Connection With Iraq and US Contractors

Article XVII

Illegal Detention: Detaining Indefinitely And Without Charge Persons Both U.S. Citizens and Foreign Captives

Article XVIII

Torture: Secretly Authorizing, and Encouraging the Use of Torture Against Captives in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Other Places, as a Matter of Official Policy

Article XIX

Rendition: Kidnapping People and Taking Them Against Their Will to “Black Sites” Located in Other Nations, Including Nations Known to Practice Torture

Article XX

Imprisoning Children

Article XXI

Misleading Congress and the American People About Threats from Iran, and Supporting Terrorist Organizations Within Iran, With the Goal of Overthrowing the Iranian Government

Article XXII

Creating Secret Laws

Article XXIII

Violation of the Posse Comitatus Act

Article XXIV

Spying on American Citizens, Without a Court-Ordered Warrant, in Violation of the Law and the Fourth Amendment

Article XXV

Directing Telecommunications Companies to Create an Illegal and Unconstitutional Database of the Private Telephone Numbers and Emails of American Citizens

Article XXVI

Announcing the Intent to Violate Laws with Signing Statements

Article XXVII

Failing to Comply with Congressional Subpoenas and Instructing Former Employees Not to Comply

Article XXVIII

Tampering with Free and Fair Elections, Corruption of the Administration of Justice

Article XXIX

Conspiracy to Violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965

Article XXX

Misleading Congress and the American People in an Attempt to Destroy Medicare

Article XXXI

Katrina: Failure to Plan for the Predicted Disaster of Hurricane Katrina, Failure to Respond to a Civil Emergency

Article XXXII

Misleading Congress and the American People, Systematically Undermining Efforts to Address Global Climate Change

Article XXXIII

Repeatedly Ignored and Failed to Respond to High Level Intelligence Warnings of Planned Terrorist Attacks in the US, Prior to 911.

Article XXXIV

Obstruction of the Investigation into the Attacks of September 11, 2001

Article XXXV

Endangering the Health of 911 First Responders”

Evidence for the charges is outlined in a 60+ page document that Kucinich read on the floor of the House.

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Online Film Outlines Evidence for Cheney Impeachment

Posted on July 6, 2007 by | 1 Comment

impeach cheney graphic

A new three-minute short by Brave New Films released on the Internet today lays out in short form evidence supporting proposed articles of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney. The short film uses video of public appearances by Dick Cheney that provide evidence of the three proposed articles of impeachment–that Cheney has purposely manipulated the intelligence process by fabricating a threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, that Cheney has purposely manipulated the intelligence process by fabricating relations between Iraq and Al Qaeda, and that Cheney has openly threatened aggression against the republic of Iran while undermining the security of the United States. Additional evidence supporting the charges has been compiled by Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich who introduced a resolution in April containing the articles of impeachment. Thus far, 13 representatives have co-sponsored a resolution calling for impeachment while a recent poll indicated that 54% of the country supports Cheney’s impeachment.

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Video from Detroit Impeachment Forum

Posted on June 9, 2007 by | Comments Off

MIImpeach.org, a Ypsilanti-based group organizing around the issue of impeaching President George W. Bush, has produced a video from their impeachment town hall forum held on May 29. The forum brought together more than 400 people to hear about the need for impeachment and ongoing organizing efforts. The event–featuring speakers Bill Goodman of the National Lawyers Guild, Retired Army Colonel Ann Wright, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, Maureen Taylor of the Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, JoAnn Watson of the Detroit City Council, and Jack Lessenberry of the Detroit Metro Times–follows the Detroit City Council’s passage of a city resolution calling for impeachment.

An edited video overview of the meeting can be seen below:

The forum can be seen in its entirety via the following links:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.

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Detroit City Council Passes Bush and Cheney Impeachment Resolution

Posted on May 17, 2007 by | Comments Off

On Wednesday, the Detroit City Council passed a resolution calling for the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. The resolution lists specific impeachable offenses including misleading the public to justify the invasion of Iraq, unconstitutional electronic surveillance without obtaining warrants, conspiracy to commit torture in violation of domestic and international law, and the suspension of habeas corpus rights for detainees and United States citizens. It was passed in a 7-0 vote and was supported by the Detroit & Michigan National Lawyers Guild, Latinos Unidos, Veterans for Peace, Michigan Welfare Rights Organization, the Gray Panthers, and MIImpeach.org. Around the country, impeachment resolutions have been passed by over 50 municipalities.

The text of the resolution reads:

WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney conspired with others to defraud the United States of America by intentionally misleading Congress and the public regarding the threat from Iraq in order to justify a war in violation of Title 18 United States Code, Section 371; and

WHEREAS, George W. Bush has admitted to ordering the National Security Agency to conduct electronic surveillance of American civilians without seeking warrants from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court of Review, duly constituted by Congress in 1978, in violation of Title 50 United States Code, Section 1805; and

WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney conspired to commit the torture of prisoners in violation of the “Federal Torture Act” Title 18 United States Code, Section 113C, the UN Torture Convention and the Geneva Convention, which under Article VI of the Constitution are part of the “supreme Law of the Land”; and

WHEREAS, George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney acted to strip American citizens of their constitutional rights by ordering indefinite detention without access to legal counsel, without charge and without the opportunity to appear before a civil judicial officer to challenge the detention, based solely on the discretionary designation by the President of a U.S. citizen as an “enemy combatant”, all in subversion of law; and

WHEREAS, In all of this George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney have acted in a manner contrary to their trust as President and Vice President, subversive of constitutional government to the great prejudice of the cause of law and justice, and to the manifest injury of the people of the City of Detroit and of the United States of America; and

WHEREAS, Petitions from the country at large may be presented by the Speaker of the House according to Clause 3 of House Rule XII;

Be it resolved that George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney, by such conduct, warrant impeachment and trial, and removal from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States;

Be it resolved further by the City of Detroit, that our senators and representatives in the United States Congress be, and they are hereby, requested to cause to be instituted in the Congress of the United States proper proceedings for the investigation of the activities of the George W. Bush and Richard B. Cheney, to the end that they may be impeached and removed from such office.

Be it resolved further, that the Clerk of the City of Detroit be, and is hereby, instructed to certify to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, under the seal of the City of Detroit, a copy of this resolution and its adoption by the City of Detroit, as a petition, and request that this petition be delivered to the Office of the Clerk and entered in the United States Congressional Journal. The copies shall be marked with the word “Petition” at the top of the document and contain the original authorizing signature of the City Clerk, Janice M. Winfrey.

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Impeachment Protests held in Grand Rapids and around the Country

Posted on April 30, 2007 by | Comments Off
photo of impeachment demo in kalamazoo, michigan

On Saturday, April 28 (A28), protests were held across the country calling for the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. In Grand Rapids, around thirty protestors stood on bridges over the Grand River with signs and banners–including one thirty foot banner reading “IMPEACH!”–calling for the impeachment of President Bush. Organizers from the Grand Rapids event report collecting 115 signatures for a petition and receiving “a ton of honks and waves” according to a post on the website A28.ORG. Similar events were held across Michigan, including an event in Kalamazoo. The protests highlighted ten reasons to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney ranging from “Launching an illegal ‘War of Aggression’ against Iraq without just cause” to “Gross negligence in failing to assist New Orleans residents after Hurricane Katrina, ignoring urgent warnings of an Al Qaeda attack prior to Sept. 11, 2001.”

The aforementioned reasons for impeachment are just two of the reasons cited by the organizers of the nationwide A28 impeachment protests. Other reasons identified by the organization include:

  • Violating U.S. and international law by authorizing the use of torture.
  • Violating the Constitution by detaining Americans without due process.
  • Violating the Geneva Conventions by targeting civilians, journalists, hospitals, and ambulances.
  • Violating U.S. law and the Constitution through widespread wiretapping without a warrant.
  • Violating the Constitution by using “signing statements” to defy laws passed by Congress.
  • Violating U.S. and state law by obstructing honest elections in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006.
  • Violating U.S. law by using paid propaganda and disinformation, leaking classified information, and exposing the identity of a covert CIA operative.

    Subverting the Constitution negating the Bill of Rights and the Writ of Habeas Corpus.

In addition to the aforementioned reasons, there have been several lengthy explorations of the issue in recent years. Two books, David Lindorff’s and Barbara Olshansky’s The Case for Impeachment: The Legal Argument for Removing President Bush and the Center for Constitutional Rights Articles of Impeachment against George W. Bush, explore the topic in detail and provide both compelling arguments for impeachment as well as extensive evidence supporting it. The Center for Constitutional Rights even compares the case against President Bush to impeachment proceedings against Presidents Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon, and Andrew Johnson and argues that the case against Bush is considerably stronger. While the Center for Constitutional Rights developed four articles of impeachment targeting illegal wiretapping, deliberate lies told to the public to build support for the invasion of Iraq, the illegal treatment of detainees, and a fourth article tying the previous three together as a threats to democracy and the Republic, others have crafted additional articles of impeachment and additional books have developed detailed analyses supporting impeachment. Representative Dennis Kucinich recently introduced articles of impeachment against Dick Cheney containing a wealth of supporting documents available online.

While receiving relatively little attention in the corporate media, a grassroots impeachment movement has organized and has some successes in recent weeks. Despite the Democrats’ assertions that “impeachment is off the table,” several opinion polls have found support ranging from 30% to 51% for impeachment and recent actions reflect this support. In March, 36 cities and municipalities passed resolutions in support of impeachment and this month Vermont’s Senate passed a resolution calling for the impeachment of President Bush, while several other cities have passed resolutions in recent months. Resolutions have also been taken up and passed by 16 Democratic parties around the country, including the California Democratic Party who passed a resolution last week calling for a “vigorous investigation” of the President and “appropriate remedies and punishment, including impeachment.” Democratic Representative Dennis Kucinich introduced articles of impeachment against Vice President Dick Cheney in the House last week, arguing that it made sense to start with him since many of the Bush administration’s policies originated with Cheney. Impeachment also received a rare mention in the corporate media on Sunday, with Democratic Representative John Murtha mentioning impeachment as “one of the ways Congress has to influence the president” on Iraq policy. Murtha’s comments followed a weekend of reports of pro-impeachment rallies across the country.

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Panel Discussion on Impeachment, War, and the Media

Posted on January 24, 2007 by | Comments Off


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At an ad-hoc session at the National Conference on Media Reform, a number of panelists addressed the need for the media to cover the issue of impeachment and the role of the independent media in building support for ending the occupation of Iraq and impeachment. The panel featured a number of prominent activists, independent media producers, and media reform activists including Amy Goodman of Democracy Now, Jeff Cohen of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, Normon Solomon of the Institute for Public Accuracy, Sam Husseini, John Nichols of Free Press, and Larry Everest of Revolution newspaper. The session was moderated by David Swanson of the After Downing Street coalion.

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Local DFA Chapter holds Forum on Bush Impeachment

Posted on January 9, 2007 by | Comments Off

Transcripts of comments by Albert Abbasse and Geoffrey Saint are available here and here

On Monday, January 8, the Kent County chapter of Democracy for America hosted a forum on whether or not Bush should be impeached. About 45 people were in attendance for the forum that featured a historical presentation on impeachment in the US followed by a panel of three.

The historical presentation was given by Hope Professor Earl Curry, who talked about the previous cases of impeachment in the US. He cited the example of Senator Blount in 1797, a few judicial cases, and the previous two presidential examples with Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. Curry made it clear that there has never been any clear definition of what are impeachable offenses and that no one has really been held accountable even though some convictions occurred. He made the point that what drives impeachment proceedings is more political than the principle of upholding the Constitution.

There were three panelists who spoke next: Al Abasse, a professor who teaches constitutional law, Geoffrey Saint, a professor of political science, and Barbara Van’t Hof. Mr. Abasse stressed that impeachment is a very serious issue and in the case of Bush important because if impeachment doesn’t happen “then the constitution doesn’t mean anything.” He felt there was enough evidence of deliberately misleading the US public into supporting the war in Iraq and suspending habeas corpus to warrant impeachment. He also made the statement that going to war in Afghanistan was appropriate, but not in Iraq on the grounds that there was no cause for war.

Geoffrey Saint took the position that impeachment is a good idea, but that pragmatically it would be disastrous for the country and the Democratic Party. He said it was too late in Bush’s term to be a viable option and that it would waste time and energy on the 2008 election. He also stated that it would stall the country politically and possibly cost the Democrats in their desire to win the White House in 2008. Saint made mention of an earlier attempt by people to impeach Bush in 2003 and cited a proposal by noted International Law professor Francis Boyle. This second panelist also stated that going forward with impeachment proceedings would re-energize the GOP.

The last panelist took neither a position for or against impeachment, although she did not think it was not the best action to take at this point. Of the three speakers she was the only one to point out not just the illegality of the war in Iraq but the global consequences, the deaths in Iraq, and torture as violations of the Geneva Convention. In the end though she felt that Speaker of the House Nacy Pelosi and others were being pragmatic by taking impeachment off the table and that “if the Democrats are to make any progress on legislative issues they need bi-partisan support.” Barbara Van’t Hof did feel that a Truth Movement needs to be established and that she would support a World Court action against the Bush administration for War Crimes. While the audience was clearly in the Democratic Party camp it was clear that many people during the question and answer period felt that there needs to be some accountability with the current administration. While no clear action came out of the discussion, it clearly engaged the audience in thinking about government accountability and war crimes. At the end someone also mentioned a recent event in New York where proceedings did take place to review and eventually indict Bush on War Crimes. The group is called the International Commission of Inquiry on Crimes Against Humanity Committed by the Bush Administration.

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