NYT: Impeach Gonzales

In a Sunday op-ed, the New York Times calls on Congress to impeach Attorney General Alberto Gonzales unless Justice appoints a special prosecutor to investigate his actions regarding the firing of US Attorneys and warrantless wiretapping programs.

On Thursday, the Roanoke Times included no such caveat in their call for impeachment. On Saturday, the Brattleboro VT Reformer. Back in March, the National Review Online. Some Democrats, activists and lawyers (e.g., here, here and here) began calling for his impeachment this spring.

Congress does have the authority. Article II of the Constitution gives Congress the power to impeach “the president, the vice president and all civil officers of the United States” for "high crimes and misdemeanors." The Attorney General, as a member of the President's cabinet, is a civil officer.

Lying to Congress is an impeachable offense. However, not only is there no record of a cabinet official being impeached, apparently it's been more than a century since Congress even expressed "no confidence" in a cabinet official. And only one Supreme Court Justice has been impeached (Samuel Chase, 1805). Congress has only impeached, tried, convicted and removed federal district judges.

Backstory: Attorney Gate: The Firing of US Attorneys, Patriot Act Changed Rules on US Attorney Appointments, Gonzales: Wiretaps Essential; Specter, Plan "Defies Logic," More Shades of Watergate