Honorable Members of Congress, their staff members, and Judiciary Committee staff,
We would like to thank the members, legislative directors, chiefs of staff, and Judiciary Committee staff who met with us over the last two weeks to discuss moving towards an impeachment hearing. We appreciate their interest and willingness to continue working for our common goal– to hold Vice President Cheney and President Bush accountable for their contempt of Congress, their destruction of checks and balances, their possible lies to Congress and the American people, their authorization of torture and wiretapping, and more. With the realization that Bush can pardon himself and anyone in his administration retroactively and preemptively, without first being convicted of a crime, an impeachment hearing is even more critical.
Since we started our impeachment lobbying campaign on September 8, four additional members, including two Judiciary Committee members*, have become cosponsors of House Resolution 1258 for the impeachment of George W. Bush:
Rep Ellison, Keith* [MN-5] – 9/16/2008
Rep Filner, Bob [CA-51] – 9/18/2008
Rep Jackson-Lee, Sheila* [TX-18] – 9/18/2008
Rep McDermott, Jim [WA-7] – 9/9/2008
These patriotic Representatives join their colleagues below who are actively defending our beloved Constitution by cosponsoring resolutions for impeachment and asking HJC Chair John Conyers to begin an impeachment hearing. There are a total of 8 Judiciary Committee members and 35 total members so far if we include John Conyers, who wrote the book The Constitution in Crisis: The High Crimes of the Bush Administration and a Blueprint for Impeachment. We would also like to include Jerrold Nadler, who said in the July 25 Judiciary Committee hearing “If the President lied to Congress in order to motivate Congress to go to war, that would be impeachable.”
Note: see 60-second impeachment ad to be broadcast in markets nationwide featuring Representative Nadler in the 7/25 hearing: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4249019297349471072&hl=en
It’s important for Congress to know that the majority of the citizens of this nation want an impeachment inquiry.
We are speaking for them.
Members of Congress and their staffs have told us repeatedly that they are concerned primarily about winning the upcoming election for the White House. Therefore it is inconceivable that they would ignore the November 2007 American Research Group data (see footnote) indicating that “53% of voters say (Bush’s) abuses rise to the level of impeachable offenses and Mr. Bush should be impeached and removed from office.” Further, among independents, 50% are in favor of impeaching Cheney and Bush, and among Democrats, 76% and 69% are in favor of impeachment Cheney and Bush respectively. There is no doubt that the current economic crisis will increase these percentages. The Democratic leadership has gotten some bad advice on impeachment and the election. Leadership needs to seriously re-examine the old decision to take it off the table, which is not longer viable given the situation in this country and the mood of voters.
We have shared our conviction that starting an impeachment inquiry will help, not hurt, the Obama campaign. With the data above showing clear support for this, and the historical fact that the party that impeaches wins big in the next election, there can be no doubt that voters will welcome such an action. Why would the Democrats reject the opportunity to be the party of honest government, heroically upholding the Constitution? And why would the Party let the mainstream and right-wing media decide for the Congress what the correct course of action is? We’ve heard from many of you that you’re worried the media will say that an impeachment hearing is pure partisanship, undertaken now to hurt the Republicans in the election. But we know that this is NOT why the Judiciary Committee would start a hearing. We know that the Committee can stand firm and answer those absurd media accusations with the truth– that impeachment is nonpartisan and warranted for this administration. Jim McDermott stood on the House floor and said “the allegations that would warrant impeachment keep growing.” There is absolutely no indication from any members who support impeachment that their support has anything to do with partisanship. Instead, we have heard and applaud their strong statements defending the Constitution and demanding accountability.
The Judiciary Committee makes the decision to start a hearing– no one else: not the Democratic leadership, the Obama campaign, nor the Bush Administration. It is the Committee’s duty to start a hearing based on the very strong evidence of wrongdoing, and may do so, even during adjournment according to the House Rules (see rules attached, page 19, Power to sit and act; subpoena power (m)(1).)
Cheney and Bush are innocent until proven guilty, but the majority of Americans suspect they’re guilty and the preponderance of evidence requires the Committee to investigate. This is why we will not stop asking for a hearing and why we have been working night and day with you to get one started as soon as possible before the end of this Congressional term.
Again, thank you for your commitment to upholding the Constitution, and thank you in advance for doing the correct thing and expediting an impeachment inquiry. We await your patriotic action.
Sincerely,
on behalf of the National Impeachment Network of over 50 impeachment groups and over one million impeachment activists,
Cynthia Papermaster
National Impeachment Network
[email protected]
510-333-6097
cc: National Impeachment Network
List of Representatives Supporting Impeachment with Judiciary Committee members* highlighted
333= H. Res. 333, Cheney; 1258= H. Res. 1258, Bush; W= Rep. Wexler letter to Chairman Conyers re. immediate impeachment hearing for Cheney
Abercrombie, Neil, HI-1 W
Baldwin, Tammy, WI-2* 333/1258/W
Boswell, Leonard, IA-3 333
Brady, Robert, PA-1 333
Capuano, Michael, MA-8 W
Clarke, Yvette D., NY-11 333/W
Clay, Wm. Lacy, MO-1 333/W
Cohen, Steve, TN-9* 333/W
Davis, Danny, IL-7 333
DeFazio, Peter, OR-4 W
Ellison, Keith, MN-5* 333/1258/W
Farr, Sam, CA-17 333/1258/W
Filner, Bob, CA-51 333/1258
Grijalva, Raúl M., AZ-7 333/W
Gutierrez, Luis V., IL-4* W
Hinchey, Maurice, NY-22 1258
Kucinich, Dennis, OH-10 333/1258/W
Jackson-Lee, Sheila,* TX-18 333/1258
Johnson, Henry “Hank”,* GA-4 333
Kilpatrick, Carolyn, MI-13 333
Lee, Barbara, CA-9 333/1258/W
McDermott, Jim, WA-7 333/1258
Moore, Gwen, WI-4 333
Moran, James P., VA-8 333
Payne, Donald, NJ-10 333
Schakowsky, Janice, IL-9 333
Stark, Fortney Pete, CA-13 333
Thompson, Mike, CA-1 333
Towns, Edolphus, NY-10 333/1258
Waters, Maxine,* CA-35 333
Watson, Diane, CA-33 333
Wexler, Robert, FL-19* 333/1258/W
Woolsey, Lynn, CA-6 333/1258/W
Wynn, Albert Russell, MD-4 333/W
Footnote: American Research Group impeachment survey http://www.americanresearchgroup.com/impeach/