Thank you for contacting me about impeachment proceedings for President Bush or
members of his Administration. I appreciate hearing from you about this serious
issue.
As you know, Congress may remove the President, Vice President, and any Civil
Officer of the United States from office through the impeachment process.
According to the Constitution, the House of Representatives may impeach an
official on charges of "Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanors"
(Article II, Section 4) to remove the individual from office. Only two sitting
Presidents have ever been impeached: Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. No
sitting President has been convicted and removed from office.
Recently, Washington state legislators in Olympia have introduced resolutions
that call for the impeachment of President George W. Bush and Vice President
Dick Cheney. State Senator Eric Oemig (D-Kirkland) is the sponsor of this
resolution, Senate Joint Memorial 8016. However, since State Senator Oemig's
resolution is at the state level, it would have no binding impact on the
impeachment proceedings at the federal level. The U.S. House of
Representatives is the only legislative body with the authority to begin
impeachment proceedings of the Executive Branch.
I share your serious concerns and frustrations with the direction that President
Bush and his Administration have been taking our country, both at home and
overseas. I am troubled that Congress has been denied a chance to hold hearings
and to bring accountability to this Administration. Now that Congress is under
new leadership, we finally have that opportunity, and Congress is using the
oversight process aggressively to get the facts to help our country move
forward. We have held more oversight hearings of the Administration's handling
of the Iraq war in the first few months of the Democratic control of the
Congress than the Republicans did since the war began.
I believe the best way to alter the direction that our country is headed in is
to focus on fixing the current problems. At both the state and federal levels,
there are many issues that require our attention, discussion, and action, and
will require the President's active involvement. I am concerned that progress
on health care, education, and veteran's care would all be put on hold and would
not be fixed if Congress solely focused on impeachment proceedings.
Be assured, I believe that the Congress must hold the Administration accountable
for their actions and decisions, and I look forward to the upcoming hearings and
investigations that are occurring in the 110th Congress.
Thank you for sharing your views on this matter with me, and I will be sure to
keep your thoughts in mind as the actions of President Bush and his
administration are reviewed.
Sincerely,
Patty Murray
United States Senator
Patty Murray, Washington Senator speaks about impeachment
Patty Murray, Washington Senator speaks about impeachment
Washington STATE Senator I mean, Patty Murray...from what I've heard so far, the reason she keeps telling folks not to go for impeachment of Bush is because she feels it would hinder the Dems from winning the next presidential election. This is what I read that a head legislator in our state had quoted her as saying, despite a state measure that passed that urged Bush's impeachment. Let's be clear, this is a woman who VOTED AGAINST THE IRAQ WAR, (unlike Hillary! For shame!) and she's a tireless advocate for veterans as well. Anyway, so she finally got back to me and she says: