,,iv  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #ggi  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of
 ,,representatives  ,december #aa1 #bjad
 ,mr4 ,bentivolio submitted the         
following resolution2 which was referred
 to the ,committee on the ,judiciary    
,,resolution  ,to establish prospective 
standards effective ,january #bj1 #bjag 
defining impeachable high crimes and    
misdemeanors within the meaning of      
,article ,,ii1 section #d as applied to 
the ,president of the ,united ,states to
 provide fair warning and evenhandedness
 in the administration of the           
impeachment power of the ,house of      
,representatives4  ,whereas ,article    
,,ii1 section #d of the ,constitution   
provides that1 ,the ,president1 ,vice   
,president and all civil ,officers of   
the ,united ,states1 shall be removed   
from ,office on ,impeachment for1 and   
,conviction of1 ,treason1 ,bribery1 or  
other high ,crimes and ,misdemeanors2   
,whereas ,article ,i1 section #b1 clause
 #e provides that1 ,the ,house of       

,representatives ''' shall have the sole
 power of impeachment2 ,whereas         
,benjamin ,franklin at the              
constitutional convention described the 
impeachment power as the alternative to 
the historical practice of assassination
 to remove tyrants2 ,whereas the        
constitutional convention rejected      
neglect of duty or maladministration as 
impeachment standards in favor of high  
crimes and misdemeanors because the     
former terms were too broad2 ,whereas   
,alexander ,hamilton in ,federalist #fe 
explained that impeachable offenses     
proceed from the misconduct of public   
men1 or1 in other words1 from the abuse 
or violation of some public trust4 ,they
 are of a nature which may with peculiar
 propriety be denominated ,,political1  
as they relate chiefly to injuries done 
immediately to the society itself2      
,whereas impeachable high crimes and    
misdemeanors has an objective meaning   
based on the intent of the              
,constitution's framers and ,british    

impeachment precedents2 ,whereas then   
,congressman ,gerald ,r4 ,ford erred in 
#aigj when he declared that1 ,an        
impeachable offense is whatever a       
majority of the ,house of               
,representatives considers it to be at a
 given moment in history2 ,whereas the  
,house of ,representatives has voted    
articles of impeachment against two     
,presidents1 one ,cabinet officer1 one  
,senator1 one ,supreme ,court ,justice1 
and eleven 7#aa7 ,federal judges without
 providing a general standard for       
defining an impeachable offense2        
,whereas the law should warn before it  
strikes2 ,whereas the absence of        
impeachment standards creates an        
appearance that impeachment is a        
partisan exercise1 which undermines its 
legitimacy and deters its use2 ,whereas 
the impeachment power of the ,house of  
,representatives is a cornerstone       
safeguard against ,presidential tyranny2
 ,whereas the past neglect of the ,house
 of ,representatives to use the         

impeachment power against ,presidential 
usurpations and lawlessness has         
concentrated alarming power in the      
executive branch1 crippled liberty1     
undermined transparency1 and encouraged 
,presidents to further aggrandizements2 
and ,whereas it would be unfair and     
would carry an appearance of            
partisanship if newly articulated       
impeachment standards were applied to   
the incumbent ,president3 ,now1         
therefore1 be it  #a4 ,definition of    
,presidential impeachable offenses  ,the
 ,house of ,representatives declares    
that the following ,presidential actions
 shall constitute impeachable high      
crimes and misdemeanors within the      
meaning of ,article ,,ii1 section #d1   
which will cause the ,house to vote an  
article or articles of impeachment to   
send to the ,senate for trial-- 7#a7    
initiating war without express          
congressional authorization2  7#b7      
killing ,american citizens in the       
,united ,states or abroad who are not   

then engaged in active hostilities      
against the ,united ,states without due 
process 7unless the citizen was then    
under indictment for a felony and the   
killing was necessary to prevent        
imminent serious physical danger to     
third parties72  7#c7 failing to        
superintend subordinates guilty of      
chronic constitutional abuses2  7#d7    
expending money in violation of         
conditions imposed for the expenditure  
of appropriated funds2  7#e7            
intentionally lying to ,congress to     
obtain an authorization for war2  7#f7  
failing to take care that the laws be   
faithfully executed through signing     
statements or systematic policies of    
non-enforcement2  7#g7 substituting     
executive agreements for treaties2  7#h7
 intentionally lying under oath to a    
,federal judge or grand jury2  7#i7     
misusing ,federal agencies to advance a 
partisan political agenda2 and  7#aj7   
refusing to comply with a congressional 
subpoena for documents or testimony     

issued for a legitimate legislative     
purpose4  #b4 ,effective date ,this     
,resolution shall take effect on        
,january #bj1 #bjag4