Morning Jolt: When It Came to Impeachment, the Founders Knew What They Were Doing

On the menu today: why you keep hearing arguments about whether impeachment is a trial, whether it should be treated like one, and why the Founding Fathers set up the impeachment process the way they did.

When Should Impeachment Be Like a Trial, and When Should It Not Be?

When the rules of the impeachment trial are not what someone wants, you often hear arguments along the lines of: "Could you imagine if a criminal trial operated this way? The grand jurors would become the prosecutors! The judge and jury wouldn't have to be objective! The jury isn't sequestered and reads all about the trial from outside sources and can publicly comment on how they think the trial is going! The jurors would decide whether or not to hear from witnesses! Key material witnesses would be ignored! An agreement among two-thirds of the jurors would mean a conviction! Jurors would be able to fall asleep!"

Sometimes people say it directly, as Kamala Harris declared, "it's not a fair trial ...

Morning-Jolt.png
WITH JIM GERAGHTY January 22 2020
Morning-Jolt-center.png
WITH JIM GERAGHTY January 22 2020
hero

When It Came to Impeachment, the Founders Knew What They Were Doing

On the menu today: why you keep hearing arguments about whether impeachment is a trial, whether it should be treated like one, and why the Founding Fathers set up the impeachment process the way they did.

When Should Impeachment Be Like a Trial, and When Should It Not Be?

When the rules of the impeachment trial are not what someone wants, you often hear arguments along the lines of: "Could you imagine if a criminal trial operated this way? The grand jurors would become the prosecutors! The judge and jury wouldn't have to be objective! The jury isn't sequestered and reads all about the trial from outside sources and can publicly comment on how they think the trial is going! The jurors would decide whether or not to hear from witnesses! Key material witnesses would be ignored! An agreement among two-thirds of the jurors would mean a conviction! Jurors would be able to fall asleep!"

Sometimes people say it directly, as Kamala Harris declared, "it's not a fair trial ...   READ MORE

spacer

ADVERTISEMENT

Trending on National Review

1. For the Love of Roe

2. Confused, Iran Scrambles to Figure Out Trump

3. On the Dangers of Democracy

Top Stories

Madeleine Kearns

Columnist Fired for Stating Sex Is Binary

Jon Caldara has become associated with the resistance to transgender overreach by accident. But that is the ...

NR PLUS   Kevin D. Williamson

On the Dangers of Democracy

The rising authoritarianism of our time is not an aberration.

Jonah Goldberg

Our Nation Is Paying for Trump's Refusal to Be Presidential

Trump could have avoided impeachment had he governed, from the start, as a servant of all Americans, whether they ...

NEWS

Tulsi Gabbard Sues Hillary Clinton for Defamation over 'Russian Asset' Comments

Following Clinton's initial comments, Gabbard responded by calling the former secretary of state "the queen of ...

Rich Lowry

Mitch McConnell Is the Master of the Senate

Operating within the realm of the politically possible, as a Senate leader with a narrow majority must, McConnell ...

David Harsanyi

Happy Anniversary to Citizens United

The very notion that anyone should be restricted from airing their views is fundamentally ...

NEWS

Ukrainian Activist Featured in Biden Campaign Video Previously Criticized Hunter's 'Very...

"I think Hunter Biden did a very bad thing and he was very wrong," Daria Kaleniuk told ABC News in July.

WHAT NR IS READING

The Case for Nationalism: How It Made Us Powerful, United, and Free

By Richard Lowry

“Makes an original and compelling case for nationalism . . . A fascinating, erudite—and much-needed—defense of a hallowed idea unfairly under current attack.” — Victor Davis Hanson

LEARN MORE

PODCASTS

PHOTOS

VIDEO

NRPLUS ARTICLES

Ready for Election Season?

National Review subscribers get the most out of National Review. Don't miss out.

SEE MY OPTIONS

ADVERTISEMENT

 
 
 
Learn more about RevenueStripe...
national review

Follow Us & Share

19 West 44th Street, Suite 1701, New York, NY, 10036, USA
Your Preferences | Unsubscribe | Privacy
View this e-mail in your browser.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

FOLLOW THE MONEY - Billionaire tied to Epstein scandal funneled large donations to Ramaswamy & Democrats

Readworthy: This month’s best biographies & memoirs

Inside J&Js bankruptcy plan to end talc lawsuits