Matthews: Obstruction Has To Be an Impeachable Offense, Otherwise the President Is an Emperor

RUSH TRANSCRIPT MATTHEWS Who ░░░░░░░░ wrote a great article ░░░░░░░░ case for normalizing impeachment ░░░░░░░░ Republican strategist John fear ░░░░░░░░ want to get to ░░░░░░░░ point in the next ░░░░░░░░ minutes Can we all ░░░░░░░░ that obstruction of justice ░░░░░░░░ to be impeachable Because ░░░░░░░░ a president can do ░░░░░░░░ he wants with the ░░░░░░░░ system he is basically ░░░░░░░░ he is an emperor ░░░░░░░░ he can just ignore ░░░░░░░░ law Can we agree ░░░░░░░░ that I think so ░░░░░░░░ John Impeachment is a ░░░░░░░░ matter I it s ░░░░░░░░ the politicians to decide ░░░░░░░░ there is proven obstruction ░░░░░░░░ s a good case ░░░░░░░░ make You to make ░░░░░░░░ it the politicians They ░░░░░░░░ the right to ignore ░░░░░░░░ They have the right ░░░░░░░░ ignore it Especially in ░░░░░░░░ Senate I m just ░░░░░░░░ from a practical perspective ░░░░░░░░ I m older than ░░░░░░░░ guys We ve been ░░░░░░░░ what high crimes and ░░░░░░░░ means since I was ░░░░░░░░ practically You in your ░░░░░░░░ say basically it s ░░░░░░░░ a legal term it ░░░░░░░░ a political judgment like ░░░░░░░░ the British house of ░░░░░░░░ It s a no ░░░░░░░░ vote If you don ░░░░░░░░ like this government if ░░░░░░░░ don t like this ░░░░░░░░ minister you want to ░░░░░░░░ rid of him you ░░░░░░░░ no confidence I wouldn ░░░░░░░░ say high crimes and ░░░░░░░░ is meant to be ░░░░░░░░ a no confidence vote ░░░░░░░░ Madison talks about impeaching ░░░░░░░░ president for capriciously firing ░░░░░░░░ Branch officials The first ░░░░░░░░ official ever impeached Is ░░░░░░░░ Marbury No that was ░░░░░░░░ federalson papers He is ░░░░░░░░ at people from the ░░░░░░░░ He is commented That ░░░░░░░░ a high crimes and ░░░░░░░░ standard It s very ░░░░░░░░ they mean if you ░░░░░░░░ to constitutional scholars something ░░░░░░░░ breach of public trust ░░░░░░░░ problem is as John ░░░░░░░░ we have to find ░░░░░░░░ for ourselves I think ░░░░░░░░ underuse it I think ░░░░░░░░ underuse We re afraid ░░░░░░░░ talk about it even ░░░░░░░░ ve had 45 presidents ░░░░░░░░ many do you think ░░░░░░░░ have been impeached Worthy ░░░░░░░░ impeachment More than between ░░░░░░░░ and one counting president ░░░░░░░░ Well we ve already ░░░░░░░░ twoyrks but not removed ░░░░░░░░ office Senator Dianne Feinstein ░░░░░░░░ ranking member of the ░░░░░░░░ Committee dodged questions whereby ░░░░░░░░ of justice case against ░░░░░░░░ president amounted to an ░░░░░░░░ offense However she went ░░░░░░░░ to say this The ░░░░░░░░ rises with the day ░░░░░░░░ concern about this White ░░░░░░░░ rises You re concerned ░░░░░░░░ the ability of this ░░░░░░░░ s to do the ░░░░░░░░ rise business the day ░░░░░░░░ yes oh yes I ░░░░░░░░ been here for 25 ░░░░░░░░ now there is a ░░░░░░░░ of instability unpredictability It ░░░░░░░░ one issue after the ░░░░░░░░ Do you believe it ░░░░░░░░ time to think about ░░░░░░░░ him out of office ░░░░░░░░ believe it s time ░░░░░░░░ us to finish our ░░░░░░░░ And I don t ░░░░░░░░ to bias any part ░░░░░░░░ the investigation with premature ░░░░░░░░ Suppose John we had ░░░░░░░░ president who instead of ░░░░░░░░ a normal president got ░░░░░░░░ every morning around 6 ░░░░░░░░ read the papers and ░░░░░░░░ going crazy Start aid ░░░░░░░░ everybody he doesn t ░░░░░░░░ every institution he doesn ░░░░░░░░ like pretty much like ░░░░░░░░ day in the movie ░░░░░░░░ over and over and ░░░░░░░░ again Every day is ░░░░░░░░ same Instead of doing ░░░░░░░░ different or growing in ░░░░░░░░ office or learning or ░░░░░░░░ it seriously every morning ░░░░░░░░ s personal between somebody ░░░░░░░░ he and Comey or ░░░░░░░░ Clinton He is ranting ░░░░░░░░ these people who are ░░░░░░░░ at him Do you ░░░░░░░░ that kind of president ░░░░░░░░ be impeached That kind ░░░░░░░░ president The question is ░░░░░░░░ you impeach a president ░░░░░░░░ bad tweets Consistently bad ░░░░░░░░ And I don t ░░░░░░░░ you can Depending unless ░░░░░░░░ Political judgment Some people ░░░░░░░░ the get go have ░░░░░░░░ to impeach this president ░░░░░░░░ the very beginning when ░░░░░░░░ got elected So it ░░░░░░░░ t really evolved from ░░░░░░░░ Now Republicans are not ░░░░░░░░ to impeach Donald Trump ░░░░░░░░ are not going to ░░░░░░░░ Bill Clinton And so ░░░░░░░░ s a political judgment ░░░░░░░░ if things get so ░░░░░░░░ if the country gets ░░░░░░░░ bad if the vast ░░░░░░░░ of the country decides ░░░░░░░░ Donald Trump is completely ░░░░░░░░ and the country is ░░░░░░░░ down the ditch that ░░░░░░░░ a different thing But ░░░░░░░░ s not happening right ░░░░░░░░ Not when we have ░░░░░░░░ political struggle within Washington ░░░░░░░░ C People who wanted ░░░░░░░░ to be impeached since ░░░░░░░░ got elected still want ░░░░░░░░ impeople Ed Why was ░░░░░░░░ impeached He was of ░░░░░░░░ mind and body He ░░░░░░░░ a mistake He covered ░░░░░░░░ up Republicans made the ░░░░░░░░ that he lied under ░░░░░░░░ and should have been ░░░░░░░░ by that Well he ░░░░░░░░ Why did they say ░░░░░░░░ was enough to kick ░░░░░░░░ out He made the ░░░░░░░░ that impeachment was a ░░░░░░░░ form of sense Cher ░░░░░░░░ They knew they had ░░░░░░░░ chance of removing him ░░░░░░░░ office The Senate was ░░░░░░░░ going to convict him ░░░░░░░░ knew that Did you ░░░░░░░░ they knew is that ░░░░░░░░ m not sure they ░░░░░░░░ that thing is the ░░░░░░░░ issue We do get ░░░░░░░░ decide Give me some ░░░░░░░░ who should have been ░░░░░░░░ No I m not ░░░░░░░░ to go backwards We ░░░░░░░░ a president right now ░░░░░░░░ Donald Trump control nuclear ░░░░░░░░ Okay suppose the economy ░░░░░░░░ going down frighteningly downward ░░░░░░░░ unemployment and going further ░░░░░░░░ he had no ability ░░░░░░░░ deal wit And you ░░░░░░░░ tell he had no ░░░░░░░░ Should he have been ░░░░░░░░ I m not sure ░░░░░░░░ knew at that time ░░░░░░░░ Herbert Hoover had no ░░░░░░░░ to deal wit We ░░░░░░░░ the market They were ░░░░░░░░ out of windows I ░░░░░░░░ it was clear when ░░░░░░░░ was clear what Hoover ░░░░░░░░ doing was a total ░░░░░░░░ you were close enough ░░░░░░░░ an election that he ░░░░░░░░ moving I think complete ░░░░░░░░ circumstances I think going ░░░░░░░░ war in Iraq measured ░░░░░░░░ to that standard Thank ░░░░░░░░ Ezra Klein and thank ░░░░░░░░ John Feehery