Saturday, January 23, 2016

Gen. Charles Coteworth Pinckney, "all civil officers of the United States, are to be removed from office on impeachment and conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."

   "Under the new Constitution, the abuse of power was more effectually checked than under the old one. A proper body, immediately taken from the people, and returnable to the people every second year, are to impeach those who behave amiss, or betray their public trust; another body, taken from the state legislatures, are to try them. No man, however great, is exempt from impeachment and trial. If the representatives of the people think he ought to be impeached and tried, the President cannot pardon him; and this great man himself, whom the honorable gentleman pretends to be so much afraid of, as well as the Vice-President, and all civil officers of the United States, are to be removed from office on impeachment and conviction of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors."--Gen. Charles Coteworth Pinckney, (President George Washington offered Pinckney his choice of the State Department or the War Department in 1789; which Pinckney declined. Pinckney did however accept Washington's offer to be the Ambassador to France in 1796, and worked with John Marshall, and Elbridge Gerry to treat with the French.), Jan. 17, 1788. [Debates In The Legislature And In Convention Of The State Of South Carolina, On The Adoption Of The Federal Constitution. [Elliot’s Debates, Vol. IV. Pg. 281]

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