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‘Raging Impeachment Addiction’: Jonathan Turley Rips the Left Over Calls to Impeach Justice Thomas

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


Famed Georgetown University law professor Jonathan Turley took the left to task in a column over their calls to impeach Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, blasting them for “raging impeachment addiction,” among other things.

The impeachment demands came in response to reports about text messages sent by his wife, Ginni Thomas, to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows in which she implored him to fight for then-President Donald Trump while also claiming that the 2020 presidential election was replete with fraud.

Leftists argue that Thomas ought to have recused himself from issues related to the 2020 election and specifically, the probe into the Jan. 6 riot that took place on Capitol Hill, because of his wife’s alleged link to the incident. To that point, Ginni Thomas has said that she went to Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington, D.C., that day, but left before he began speaking because she got cold.

“‘I have a question for Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats: Why haven’t you impeached Clarence Thomas yet?’” MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan tweeted. “I make the case in a new @MSNBC op-ed, using historical precedent & basic political common sense, for why Dems should impeach Justice Thomas.”

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In his column, Hasan lists a number of allegations against Ginni Thomas, then makes an assumption that because of her political alignments and activities, Justice Thomas is somehow guilty of ‘conflicts of interest’ in cases that came before the court involving groups she was associated with.

But nowhere in Hasan’s column does he implicate any real wrongdoing by Thomas, though he claims, falsely, that Trump was involved in “a coup attempt” and that Ginni Thomas was a part of it.

In any event, Turley, who teaches constitutional law and served as a witness in Trump’s first impeachment was having none of Hasan’s arguments. He responded by saying that the push to impeach Justice Thomas, especially for alleged actions on the part of his wife, is reflective of a culture that is more interested in political solutions like impeachment rather than the concept of justice.

“The calls for Justice Thomas’ impeachment are entirely disconnected from any constitutional or logical foundation. Rather, the Thomas controversy shows how the impeachment mantra has become a raging impeachment addiction,” Turley tweeted.

Turley wrote in an op-ed contained in his tweet: “No, Justice Thomas did not commit an impeachable offense.”

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He added:

It is often said that ‘if the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.’ In modern American politics, it often seems like the only tool is impeachment and every controversy instantly becomes a high crime and misdemeanor. Donald Trump was impeached not once but twice. Not long after Justice Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed, Democrats like then-Sen. Kamala Harris and Sen. Elizabeth Warren demanded his impeachment.  Others demanded the impeachment of Attorney General Bill Barr and cabinet members.

Associate Justice Clarence Thomas is only the latest addition to that ever-lengthening list. In reality, the calls for his impeachment are entirely disconnected from any constitutional or logical foundation. Rather, the Thomas controversy shows how the impeachment mantra has become a raging impeachment addiction.

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“The most ironic may be Barbara Boxer who organized the challenge to the certification of George W. Bush’s victory. She argued that Republicans stole the election,” he wrote before listing a number of others on the far left — from Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) to Hasan — who have called for Justice Thomas’ impeachment.

Turley wrapped up his piece by arguing that the drive to impeach Thomas on grounds offered by the left would then open the door for justices to be impeached at will in the future as political power shifted in Washington.

“The calls for the impeachment of Justice Thomas are ludicrous but there is nothing laughable about the impeachment addiction fueling this frenzy. Impeaching Thomas based on these grounds would expose all justices to the threat of impeachments as majorities shift in Congress,” Turley wrote.

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