October 2, 2007
Dear Ms. :
Thank you for contacting me in support of impeaching President Bush and Vice President Cheney. I appreciate hearing from you and I welcome the opportunity to respond. Like you, I am outraged over President Bush's failed leadership on a variety of issues, in particular his disastrous and reckless policy in Iraq as well as his overreaching intelligence gathering measures. While I oppose these nad have fought them every chance I could, I do not believe that sufficient evidence has been uncovered at this time to proceed with articles of impeachment against the President and Vice President.
As you may know, the Constitution of the United States defines impeachment at the federal level and limits impeachment to "the President, Vice President, and all civil officers of the United States" who may only be impeached nad removed for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors." While I don't believe that there is sufficient evidence for impeachment proceedings at this time, I support an investigation of the President and Vice President's actions to see if there is enough evidence to commence impeachment proceedings. That is why, last Congress, I supported and cosponsored H. Res. 635, H. Res. 636, and H. Res. 637, three resolutions that were introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) on December 18, 2005. In enacted, H. Res. 635 would have created a committee to investigate the Bush Administration's intent to go to war before congressional authorization, manipulation of pre-war intelligence, and to make recommendations regarding grounds for possible impeachment of the President. H. Res. 636 and H. Res. 637 would censure President Bush and Vice President Cheney, respectively, for failing to respond to requests for information concerning allegations that they and others in the Bush Administration misled Congress and the American people regarding the decision to go to war in Iraq. None of these resolutions came to the House floor for a vote before the last Congress concluded.
I strongly believe that we must hold President Bush and Vice President Cheney accountable for their actions. That is why I support and am a proud original cosponsor of H. Res. 625, a resolution censuring the President and Vice President, which was introduced in the House of Representatives by Respresentative Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) on August 4, 2007. If enacted, this resolution would formally reprimand President George W. Bush and Vice President Richard B. Cheney for misleading the American people about the basis for going to war in Iraq, failing to plan adequately for the war, pursuing policies in Iraq that have strained our military and undermined our homeland security, and misleading the American people about the insurgency in Iraq. H. Res. 625 is currently pending before the House Committee on the Judiciary. Please be assured that I will continue to monitor this situation, keeping our shared concerns about the Bush Administration's failed leadership very much in mind as Congress continues to debate this issue.
Sincerely,
Steven R. Rothman
Member of Congress
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Response #1
August 3, 2007
Dear Ms. :
Thank you for contacting me about Vice President Dick Cheney, I appreciate hearing from you and I welcome the opportunity to respond.
Like you, I am outraged over Vice President Cheney's failed leadership on a variety of issues, in particular his possible role in disclosing the identity of a U.S. covert intelligence agent. Legislation has been proposed in the House of Representatives calling for the impeachment of Vice President Cheney. As you may know, H. Res. 333 was introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) on April 24, 2007. If enacted, this legislation would set forth Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Cheney about his role in the manipulation of pre-war intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program and Iraqi partnership with al Qaeda, as well as his role in threatening a war against Iran. H.R. 333 is currently pending before the House Committee on the Judiciary. Please be assured that I will keep our shared concerns very much in mind as Congress continues to deal with the leadership failures of the Bush Administration.
Sincerely,
Steven R. Rothman
Member of Congress
Phone: (202) 225-5061 . Fax: (202) 225-5851