Law professor sees path to impeachment from Trump's 'sh*thole countries' comment

Rep. Al Green might have been the first to call for another impeachment vote after reports circulated of President Trump’s alleged “shithole countries” comment in the Oval Office, but he wasn’t the only one with impeachment on his mind.

Convinced that Trump’s comment was racist, Cornell law professor Josh Chafetz put together the case for impeachment of the president in a series of tweets Thursday.

In my view, a constitutionally conscientious legislator could conclude that a demonstrated pattern of racist conduct by a president constituted a high crime or misdemeanor for impeachment purposes.

— Josh Chafetz (@joshchafetz) January 11, 2018

An offense against the spirit animating the Reconstruction Amendments is just as much an anticonstitutional political offense as an offense against the separation of powers or any other constitutional principle—more so, really, in light of American history.

— Josh Chafetz (@joshchafetz) January 11, 2018

The best case for the Johnson impeachment wasn’t his violation of the Tenure of Office Act per se, but rather his wholesale attempt to thwart congressional Reconstruction.

— Josh Chafetz (@joshchafetz) January 11, 2018

Trump appears to be attempting to unravel our second attempt at Reconstruction—the one begun in earnest in the 1960s.

— Josh Chafetz (@joshchafetz) January 11, 2018

Please note that nothing in this thread is a prediction about the likelihood of this happening, nor is it a claim that a constitutionally conscientious legislator would be required to do determine.

— Josh Chafetz (@joshchafetz) January 11, 2018

The claim is simply that if members of Congress were inclined to so determine—whether now or in 2019 or whenever—in my view they could do so in good faith.

— Josh Chafetz (@joshchafetz) January 11, 2018

In my view, a certified and competent psychiatrist could conclude that a demonstrated pattern of obsessive-compulsive impeachment-fixation warrants a clinical determination to confine a person to a padded cell with a straitjacket on, so they don't hurt themselves or anyone else. https://t.co/AUAyY4k9Me

— Bansi Sharma (@bansisharma) January 12, 2018

Your view is imbecilic. https://t.co/qTDG3CDjed

— Newman (@mt_newman) January 13, 2018

Granted, I'm not a law professor at the Cornell University like you, but this strikes me as insanely stupid. https://t.co/3AvNwIqG5v

— Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) January 12, 2018

https://twitter.com/LDoren/status/951645642933366792

It’s weird that a law professor’s judgement on whether a crime or misdemeanor has been committed has nothing to do with law.. https://t.co/dSYOnHBo2V

— Igor Schatz (@Copernicus2013) January 12, 2018

What exact law did he break by using the phrase "shithole country"? I'm not a legal expert so I'm hoping you can enlighten me here. https://t.co/Zz8gBCGTdo

— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) January 12, 2018

Sorry champ. You can't impeach because he said something crass. https://t.co/HWbnyUSLsd

— Bohemio: *Insert lame pun here* (@El__Bohemio) January 12, 2018

Offending people in a foreign country is now an impeachable offense. https://t.co/OlA5Xyenp2

— Michael Sebastian (@HonorAndDaring) January 12, 2018

https://twitter.com/RyanHennelly/status/951605036005711872

https://twitter.com/ConstanceVictim/status/951717344300036097

It's a political definition, not a legal definition. It can mean whatever Congress wants it to mean

Feel free to share this with your students https://t.co/hPtuVQVORt

— DaveinTexas (@DaveinTexas) January 12, 2018