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‘Raging Impeachment Addiction’: Jonathan Turley Flames The Left Over Calls To Impeach Justice Clarence Thomas

   DailyWire.com
WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 04: Constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley of George Washington University testifies before the House Judiciary Committee in the Longworth House Office Building on Capitol Hill December 4, 2019 in Washington, DC. This is the first hearing held by the House Judiciary Committee in the impeachment inquiry against U.S. President Donald Trump, whom House Democrats say held back military aid for Ukraine while demanding it investigate his political rivals. The Judiciary Committee will decide whether to draft official articles of impeachment against President Trump to be voted on by the full House of Representatives. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley laid into the left’s recent calls to impeach Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, saying that they were indicative of a “raging impeachment addiction.”

The demand for Justice Thomas’ impeachment came about because of texts sent by his wife Ginni Thomas to then White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, encouraging him to fight for former President Donald Trump and claiming that the 2020 presidential election had been rife with fraud.

Critics argued that Justice Thomas should have recused himself in matters relating to the 2020 election — in particular, the investigation into the January 6th riot on Capitol Hill — because of his wife’s alleged ties to the event. Ginni Thomas, for her part, said that she had attended the beginning of the “Stop the Steal” rally, but had left before Trump spoke because she was cold.

“‘I have a question for Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats: Why haven’t you impeached Clarence Thomas yet?'” Mehdi Hasan tweeted. “I make the case in a new @MSNBC op-ed, using historical precedent & basic political common sense, for why Dems should impeach Justice Thomas.”

Turley, who served as a witness in the first impeachment trial of then President Donald Trump, argued that the push to impeach Justice Thomas — especially over alleged actions taken by his wife — was indicative of a culture enamored with impeachment rather than justice.

“The calls for Justice Thomas’ impeachment are entirely disconnected from any constitutional or logical foundation. Rather, the Thomas controversy shows how the impeachment mantra has become a raging impeachment addiction,” Turley tweeted.

“No, Justice Thomas did not commit an impeachable offense,” he wrote in an attached article:

It is often said that ‘if the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.’ In modern American politics, it often seems like the only tool is impeachment and every controversy instantly becomes a high crime and misdemeanor. Donald Trump was impeached not once but twice. Not long after Justice Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed, Democrats like then-Sen. Kamala Harris and Sen. Elizabeth Warren demanded his impeachment.  Others demanded the impeachment of Attorney General Bill Barr and cabinet members.

Associate Justice Clarence Thomas is only the latest addition to that ever-lengthening list. In reality, the calls for his impeachment are entirely disconnected from any constitutional or logical foundation. Rather, the Thomas controversy shows how the impeachment mantra has become a raging impeachment addiction.

“The most ironic may be Barbara Boxer who organized the challenge to the certification of George W. Bush’s victory. She argued that Republicans stole the election,” he added, listing several others — from Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) to Hasan — who had called for the Justice’s impeachment.

Turley concluded by arguing that to allow the pursuit of impeachment with regard to Justice Thomas — on the grounds suggested by the left — would be to open the door for future justices to be impeached at will as the balance of power shifted.

“The calls for the impeachment of Justice Thomas are ludicrous but there is nothing laughable about the impeachment addiction fueling this frenzy. Impeaching Thomas based on these grounds would expose all justices to the threat of impeachments as majorities shift in Congress,” Turley said.

 

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