Just Found This Bad News

[ThomWV]

Found in a Department of Justice decision:

"A Sitting President's Amenability to Indictment and Criminal Prosecution.

The indictment or criminal prosecution of a sitting President would unconstitutionally undermine the capacity of the executive branch to perform its constitutionally assigned functions."

October 16, 2000

-- Snip --



http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/sitting_president.htm

[Lord_StarFyre]

1. That's why he needs to be Impeached

Then Tried and REMOVED by the Senate. At that point, he's just another schmuck who broke the law

[Guaranteed]

4. That's what he's referring to...prosecution by the Senate...

....I believe.

[wookie294]

12. Can the president be prosecuted before being removed from office?

That's the question.

From your link....

"The OLC memorandum began by considering whether the plain terms of the Impeachment Judgment Clause prohibit the institution of criminal proceedings against any officer subject to that Clause prior to that officer's conviction upon impeachment."

In other words, the memo you're referring to is asking whether a president can be prosecuted for a crime by you, me or anybody else if the Congress has not impeached and removed him for that crime.

[Guaranteed]

14. I'm not referring to anything.

I didn't write the OP, thanks.

In any case, if all the original poster is saying is that we can't prosecute criminally before getting him out of office, I have to say that I don't really give a shit.

[Guaranteed]

2. That's just one decision.

It's not a statute. It doesn't mean anything.

[displacedtexan]

3. George W. and his minions can cry me a fucking river.

They should've thought about the country!

[HysteryDiagnosis]

9. They should've thought about the country!

thought about the country... they thought about a few corporations that exist in this country and how much tax money they could suck down....

[mike_c]

5. that's why indictment is the second stage of...

...impeach, indict, imprison.

[Nite Owl]

7. Can't we just skip to

the last one? Hell after what he's put this country though he should go straight to prison while awaiting trial, he's danger to the world.

[brak]

6. That text looked like it was reaffirming another decision from 1972.

That still wouldn't stop an impeachment, if anyone in congress had some balls.

[napi21]

8. That's true, but read a little further down that artifcle.

The Impeachment Judgment Clause provides:

Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.


All this means is that he's got to be impeached FIRST!

I actually don't see a problem with that.

[rox63]

10. That didn't stop them from hounding Clinton

We can impeach him first, then start the criminal indictments after he's no longer president.

[napi21]

11. Not it didn't, and it's shouldn't stop the Dems from hounding Shrub

either! It's going to be a very difficult task to impeach though, unless the Dems retake control of the House!

[jobycom]

13. Oh, poor baby!

Prison would really ruin their golf time, too... :cry:

Presidents should think of that before they commit treason and lie to slaughter 128K innocent people, now shouldn't they?

[FogerRox]

15. I though someone said impeachment - - -- - - oh they did -- COOL