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Posted: Jan 30, 2020 9:48 AMUpdated: Jan 30, 2020 11:02 AM

Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe Talks Impeachment Process

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Garrett Giles

Republican U.S. Senator for Oklahoma Jim Inhofe said the question and answer period for the impeachment proceedings of President Donald Trump will close on Thursday.

Sen. Inhofe said the process will be the same process Americans heard on Wednesday. He said Alan Dershowitz has been an interesting man to listen to during the impeachment proceedings because of his great knowledge over the subject.

Dershowitz, a liberal democrat and professor at Harvard University, voted for Hilary Clinton in the last election. However, Sen. Inhofe praised Dershowitz, saying Dershowitz looks at the current impeachment process and believes that proceedings for any president should not be presented like it has been presented to President Trump. He said Dershowitz said this would destroy any process for any president to be sworn into office after President Trump, because they would be subject to an unfair process.

President Trump has provided six main defenses during the question and answer period of the impeachment proceedings in the U.S. Senate. One is that President Trump has not committed any crime or impeachable offense. Sen. Inhofe laid out the other five as follows:

1.       Articles are written too broadly and could be unconstitutional b/c of broadness (doesn’t charge Trump violated a specific statute)

2.       None of the 17 witnesses in inquiry were first hand witnesses (all hearsay)

3.       Abuse of Power is not a crime and removal on this vague, ill-defined ground would be unprecedented.

4.       Obstruction of Congress is invalid here – Trump did not have to comply with info requests as inquiry was not properly authorized with a vote (illegitimate inquiry). Nearly 50 years of precedent bars senior advisers to President from testifying on official duties.

5.       House Democrats rushed and rigged process against Trump from start (no due process).

Sen. Inhofe would go on to compare former President Clinton’s impeachment process to President Trump’s impeach process today. He said President Clinton admitted to lying under oath – a felony – Trump did not commit or admit to a high crime or misdemeanor.

The Clinton trial had witnesses, but Sen. Inhofe said they were all subject to the thorough, independent House investigation (Ken Starr Report) prior to being Senate witnesses. He said House Democrats did not interview former National Security Adviser John Bolton or Mick Mulvaney, because they did not want to wait on federal court decision on whether they must comply with a subpoena. In Trump’s case, House Democrats did not have independent investigator.

For the full interview with Sen. Inhofe, click here.


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