Quote:
Originally Posted by
duped_samaritan
Seems like a pretty simple argument that one can be convicted by the Senate after leaving office:
Impeachment results in removal from office and gives the House the power to make the impeached official ineligible to run for office. If someone can't be convicted because they're no longer in office, that would mean you could avoid the consequences of impeachment by leaving office.
There's already precedent.
Appeal to who? SCOTUS can't overturn an impeachment, the House has sole power to impeach, the Senate to convict. Nobody else gets to decide if someone is impeached or not. and what would retrying the case accomplish when you have the exact same jury?
The Constitution says there is only one thing to do upon conviction -removal from office. If the Civil officer is already out of office, the matter is moot. Congress does not have th power to impeach a non-office holder. The constitution does not make a distinction for "former civil officers". This does not mean that Trump cannot be prosecuted under Criminal or Civil Law. He just can't be impeached and removed from office by Congress.
The reason for this is clear, it gives rise to political cancel culture fascism. Imagine if Congress Impeached Jimmy Carter after he left office for his handling (or bumbling) of the Iran Hostage situation. Or if President Obama was Impeached after he left office for the Iran deal (he gave them Billions of dollars to not comply with anything). The Constitution does NOT permit this. As for the Precedent you speak of, it did not happen with a President. And even if it did, 2 wrongs don't make a right. This is something liberals have a hard time understanding, which explains their support for Affirmative Action (legalized racial preference laws that discriminate against Honkys).
And yes, he could take the matter to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court decides on what is Constitutional and what is not. This was established back in Marburry v. Madison. And again, the issue is not the facts of the case, but whether Impeachment and Removal is Constitutional. But let's not let facts get in the way of your libtard argument.
