We dont know how they were using this money is not factually true. You heard mcclk chin tok saying he had the mcclintock saying that he had the prosecutor fired. Yet those talking points are respited despite the fact theyre not based on fact. Its an important moment. I want to get your sense of the history of what were about to see. You see the members showing up, the staff, theyre showing up. The witnesses will be there. Theyll be sworn in as well. Its a moment that doesnt happen very often if american history. It doesnt and it shouldnt. Because its so important you think about the the way constitution set up our democratic structure here and were looking back right now to say what did the founded fathers envision about the country that we are now in . What did the separation of powers mean . Are there truly three coequal
branches of government or can one thumb their nose that leads to an authoritarian regime . We are looking at a very historic moment. Looking at what the power of con
americans have fought and died to protect our right to vote. but the framers of our constitution realize that elections alone could not guarantee that the united states would remain republic. one of the key reasons for including the impeachment power was a risk that unskrup lus officials might try to rig the election process. you ve already heard two people give william davie his props. you know, hamilton got a whole musical and william davie will get this committee hearing. he warned unless the constitution contained an impeachment provision, the president may spare no means to get himself reelected and george mason insisted a president who pro cured his appointment in the first instance through improper and corrupt acts should not escape punishment by repeating his guilt and mason was the person responsible for adding high crimes and misdemeanors to the list of impooem peachab
convention actually moved to take out the impeachment provision from the draft constitution. they had a reason for that. the reason was, they said, well, the president will have to stand for re-election. if the president has to stand for re-election, that is enough. we don t need a separate provision for impeachment. when that proposal was made, significant disagreement ensued. the governor of north carolina, a man called william davie, immediately said, if the president cannot be impeached, quote, he will spare no efforts or means whatever to get himself reelected. following davie, gorge mason of virginia, a fierce republican critic of executive power said, no point is more important than that impeachment be included in the constitution. shall any man be above justice, he asked? thus expressing the core concern, that the president must