Michael Gerhardt, a University of North Carolina law professor, told House lawmakers on Dec. 4 that, “If what we’re talking about is not impeachable, then nothing is impeachable.” Speaking during the first day of public hearings by the Judiciary Committee in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, Gerhardt further explained that this misconduct being examined in the impeachment proceedings is precisely what the framers who created the Constitution want to protect against. Gerhardt said that if there’s no action and Congress gives a “pass” to the president, “the boundaries [set by the Constitution] will just evaporate ... and may be witnessing, unfortunately, their erosion. And that is a danger to all of us.” When Democratic counsel Norm Eisen then asked what the committee could do to defend those boundaries and to protect against their erosion, Gerhardt said "precisely what you’re doing." The focus of the Judiciary hearing, which came after the House Intelligence Committee held hearings in late November, is to define the grounds for a presidential impeachment. The impeachment inquiry has revolved around a July 25 phone call in which Trump asked the president of Ukraine to investigate former vice president and 2020 presidential candidate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. For more on who’s who in the Trump impeachment inquiry, read:
Stream your PBS favorites with the PBS app:
Find more from PBS NewsHour at
Subscribe to our YouTube channel:
Follow us:
Facebook:
Twitter:
Instagram:
Snapchat: @pbsnews
Subscribe:
PBS NewsHour podcasts:
Newsletters:
0 Comments