Efforts to impeach Dick Cheney

{{Short description|2007 effort to impeach the US Vice President}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}} {{redirect|HR 333|the star (HD 6798)|List of stars in Cepheus}} {{redirect|HR 799|the star (13 Persei)|Theta Persei}} [[File:Impeach Bush & Cheney balloon in Denver during the 2008 Democratic National Convention (2810120588) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Balloon advocating for the impeachment of Cheney and President George W. Bush in 2008]] In April 2007, United States Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) filed an impeachment resolution ({{USBill|110|H.Res.|333}}) against Vice President Dick Cheney, seeking his trial in the Senate on three charges. After months of inaction, Kucinich re-introduced the exact content of H. Res 333 as a new resolution numbered {{USBill|110|H.Res.|799}} in November 2007. Both resolutions were referred to the Judiciary Committee immediately after their introduction and the Committee did not consider either. Both resolutions expired upon the termination of the 110th United States Congress on January 3, 2009.

==Process== {{Wikisource|US House Resolution 333|US House Resolution 333}}

The resolution charged that Vice President Cheney:

# had purposely manipulated the intelligence process to deceive the citizens and Congress of the United States by fabricating a threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction # had fabricated a threat about an alleged relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda, in order to justify the use of the U.S. Armed Forces against Iraq in a manner damaging to U.S. national security interests # in violation of his constitutional oath and duty, openly threatened aggression against Iran absent any real threat to the United States, and had done so with the proven U.S. capability to carry out such threats, thus undermining U.S. national security. <ref name="THOMAS-Summary">Library of Congress, [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HE00333:@@@L&summ2=m& ''H.RES.333, Summary as of: 04/24/2007--Introduced''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130901081927/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HE00333:@@@L&summ2=m& |date=September 1, 2013 }}, THOMAS</ref><ref name="THOMAS-Full">Library of Congress, [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.RES.333: ''HRES 333 IH''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150309130508/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.RES.333: |date=March 9, 2015 }}, THOMAS</ref>

The resolution was authored and submitted by Congressman Dennis Kucinich, a representative of Ohio who was also a presidential candidate in the 2008 election. Congressman Kucinich has made available more than 45 documents supporting the articles of impeachment at his Congressional website, including at least 15 for each article. <ref>[http://kucinich.house.gov/SpotlightIssues/documents.htm "Supporting Documents for H Res 333"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070504183902/http://kucinich.house.gov/SpotlightIssues/documents.htm |date=May 4, 2007 }}</ref>

{{Wikinews|Democrat submits resolution to impeach Cheney}} Congressman Dennis Kucinich introduced the resolution on April 24, 2007. During his press conference announcing the resolution, Kucinich stated that he had not informed his party's leadership of the resolution and had not recently spoken about the resolution with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi or Congressman John Conyers, the Chairman of the committee to which his resolution was referred.<ref name="RawStory20070424">Michael Roston, [https://web.archive.org/web/20070426012551/http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Kucinich_announces_impeachment_charges_against_Vice_0424.html ''Kucinich announces impeachment charges against Vice President Cheney''], The Raw Story, April 24, 2007</ref>

Upon introduction, Resolution 333 was referred to the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Congressman John Conyers. Kucinich's resolution slowly gathered additional co-sponsors, but the Judiciary Committee never addressed the resolution at a hearing. On November 6, 2007, Kucinich read the text of HRES 333 on the House floor as a new resolution ([http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HE00799:@@@L&summ2=m& '''H Res 799'''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160120105837/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:HE00799:@@@L&summ2=m& |date=January 20, 2016 }}), offering it as a "Question of the Privileges of the House". Democratic leadership, led by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, immediately moved to table the resolution. In what was expected to be an overwhelming vote in favor of tabling,<ref name=cbs>[https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-avoids-cheney-impeachment-debate/ "House Avoids Cheney Impeachment Debate"], November 7, 2007. Retrieved on June 26, 2008.</ref> Republicans began voting against doing so, trying to force a debate "potentially embarrassing" to Democrats.<ref name=nyt>[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/07/washington/07cheney.html?ref=us "Kucinich Offers Bill to Impeach Cheney"], ''The New York Times'', November 7, 2007. Retrieved on June 26, 2009.</ref> The resolution was kept alive after a vote of 251-162 against tabling, with 165 Republicans voting against terminating it.<ref name=cbs/><ref name=nyt/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uslatest/story/0,,-7055338,00.html |title=Debate on Cheney Impeachment Averted |author=Jim Abrams |publisher= Associated Press (AP) |date=November 6, 2007 |access-date=November 7, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071109000357/http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,,-7055338,00.html |archive-date=November 9, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref> To avoid a debate, Hoyer then made a motion to refer H Res 799 to the Judiciary Committee for its review, although this referral would not require Committee action on the resolution. This motion was successful and the resolution was referred to the Judiciary Committee after a vote of 218-194.<ref name=cbs/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-impeach7nov07,1,518923.story?coll=la-news-politics-national |title=Cheney impeachment resolution sent to House committee |author=Johanna Neuman |work=The Los Angeles Times |date=November 7, 2007 |access-date=November 7, 2007}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url = http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/11/house-tables-re.html |title = House tied in knots over resolution to impeach Cheney |author = Deadline |publisher = USA Today |date = November 6, 2007 |access-date = November 7, 2007 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080121023227/http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/11/house-tables-re.html |archive-date = January 21, 2008 }}</ref> House speaker Nancy Pelosi has said "impeachment is off the table",<ref name=cbs/> and the Democrats have no interest in impeaching Mr. Cheney or President Bush over the Iraq war.<ref name=nyt/>

Both resolutions were referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, chaired by Congressman Jerrold Nadler in addition to the Judiciary Committee. Neither committee ever held a hearing to consider either resolution. Both resolutions expired at the end of the 110th Congress on January 3, 2009.

==Co-sponsors== In addition to Rep. Kucinich, the prime sponsor of the resolution, there were twenty-six co-sponsors:

{| class="wikitable sortable" |- !Name of Representative !! State - District !! Party !! Date signed !! Notes |-valign="top" |Tammy Baldwin || Wisconsin - 2|| Democratic|| January 8, 2007 || member of House Judiciary Committee |-valign="top" |Leonard Boswell || Iowa - 3|| Democratic || February 14, 2008 || |-valign="top" |Robert Brady || Pennsylvania - 1|| Democratic || July 24, 2007 || |-valign="top" |Yvette Clarke || New York - 11|| Democratic || June 6, 2007 || |-valign="top" |William Lacy Clay, Jr. || Missouri - 1 || Democratic|| January 5, 2007 || |-valign="top" |Steve Cohen || Tennessee - 9 || Democratic|| April 8, 2007 || member of House Judiciary Committee<br>member of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties |-valign="top" |Danny K. Davis || Illinois - 7 || Democratic|| May 11, 2007 || |-valign="top" |Keith Ellison || Minnesota - 5 || Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party|| June 28, 2007 || member of House Judiciary Committee<br>member of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties |-valign="top" |Sam Farr || California - 17||Democratic || December 7, 2007 || |-valign="top" |Bob Filner || California - 51||Democratic || December 7, 2007 || |-valign="top" |Raul Grijalva || Arizona - 7||Democratic || May 12, 2007 || |-valign="top" |Sheila Jackson-Lee || Texas - 18 ||Democratic|| April 8, 2007 || member of House Judiciary Committee |-valign="top" |Hank Johnson || Georgia - 4 ||Democratic|| June 28, 2007 || member of House Judiciary Committee |-valign="top" |Carolyn Kilpatrick || Michigan - 13 ||Democratic|| July 9, 2007 || |-valign="top" |Barbara Lee || California - 9 ||Democratic|| July 6, 2007 || |-valign="top" |Jim McDermott || Washington - 7 ||Democratic|| October 7, 2007 || |-valign="top" |James Moran || Virginia - 8 ||Democratic|| October 7, 2007 || |-valign="top" |Gwen Moore || Wisconsin - 4 ||Democratic|| December 19, 2007 || |-valign="top" |Donald M. Payne || New Jersey - 10||Democratic|| January 8, 2007 || |-valign="top" |Jan Schakowsky || Illinois - 9 ||Democratic|| January 5, 2007 || |-valign="top" |Pete Stark || California - 13 ||Democratic|| May 3, 2008 || |-valign="top" |Edolphus Towns || New York - 10 ||Democratic|| September 27, 2007 || |-valign="top" |Maxine Waters || California - 35 ||Democratic|| December 6, 2007 || member of House Judiciary Committee |-valign="top" |Diane Watson || California - 33 ||Democratic|| October 16, 2007 || |-valign="top" |Robert Wexler || Florida - 19 ||Democratic|| November 6, 2008 || member of House Judiciary Committee |-valign="top" |Lynn Woolsey || California - 6 ||Democratic|| July 6, 2007 || |-valign="top" |Albert Wynn || Maryland - 4 ||Democratic|| October 5, 2007 || |}

== References == {{reflist|2}} {{refbegin}}  {{refend}}

== External links == * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070425232545/http://kucinich.house.gov/UploadedFiles/int3.pdf full text of resolution] (in PDF format, at [https://web.archive.org/web/20070430143014/http://kucinich.house.gov/ Kucinich's Congressional website]) * [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.RES.333: full text of resolution] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150309130508/http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:H.RES.333: |date=March 9, 2015 }} (in HTML format, at THOMAS) * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070504183902/http://kucinich.house.gov/SpotlightIssues/documents.htm supporting documents] for H. Res. 333 (index of several documents in PDF format at Kucinich's Congressional website) * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080517122749/http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-hr333/show H.Res.333 on OpenCongress]

Category:2007 controversies in the United States Category:2007 in American law Category:2007 in American politics Category:George W. Bush administration controversies Category:Dick Cheney Category:United States congressional resolutions Cheney, Dick Category:John Conyers Category:Maxine Waters