![]() ![]() The framers opted for “high crimes and misdemeanors,” a phrase that had been used for hundreds of years during impeachment proceedings in the English Parliament.Īccording to the 1974 memo, the offenses could take several forms, including “misapplication of funds, abuse of official power, neglect of duty, encroachment on Parliament’s prerogatives, corruption, and betrayal of trust.” “Whatever may be the grounds for impeachment and removal, dislike of a president's policy is definitely not one of them,” wrote Mr. The word “maladministration” was suggested, but James Madison argued that it would give Congress too much leeway. The framers debated how to describe impeachable offenses other than treason and bribery. The framers wanted to leave Congress options - but not too many options. In any case, he said, proof of corrupt intent was lacking. He said a White House meeting did not amount to an “official act,” and questioned whether the delayed release of aid would qualify. Karlan, along with two other scholars called by Democrats who testified Wednesday, said that if President Trump did what Democrats have accused him of doing - soliciting an announcement of investigations for political reasons - that would qualify as bribery.īut a witness invited by Republicans, the George Washington University professor Jonathan Turley, disagreed. “When you took private benefits, or when you asked for private benefits in return for an official act, or somebody gave them to you to influence an official act, that was bribery,” she said. Constitution would have understood the term broadly. Karlan, a Stanford professor asked by Democrats to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, said the framers of the U.S. United States criminal statutes say that bribery occurs when a public official solicits or accepts something of “value” in exchange for an “official act.” But these statutes were written long after the word was added to the Constitution. “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors”īribery is not defined in the Constitution.
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