The Framers of the Constitution Warned Against a Partisan Impeachment Process

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The Framers of the Constitution Warned Against a Partisan Impeachment Process
By Ted Abram

Alan Dershowitz of Harvard Law School, writes in The Hill, “A partisan impeachment vote is exactly what the Framers feared.” Dershowitz emphasizes the exceptional and unique power of impeachment. “Impeachment is an extraordinary tool to be used only when the constitutional criteria are met. These criteria are limited and include only ‘treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.’”

Knowing the intent of the Framers of the Constitution, Dershowitz paraphrases a major concern of Alexander Hamilton that partisan politics will be used to remove an elected president. “Hamilton warned of the ‘greatest danger’ that the decision to move forward with impeachment will ‘be regulated more by the comparative strength of parties than the real demonstrations of innocence or guilt.’ He worried that the tools of impeachment would be wielded by the ‘most cunning or most numerous factions’ and lack the ‘requisite neutrality toward those whose conduct would be the subject of scrutiny.’”

http://www.freedomworks.org/content/framers-constitution-warned-against-partisan-impeachment-process