Thomas Jefferson Quotes
Having found, from experience, that impeachment is an impracticable thing, a mere scare-crow, they consider themselves secure for life; they skulk from responsibility to public opinion.
Thomas Jefferson, 1743-1826, 3rd President of the United States (Democratic Republican, VA), Reference to Judges, Letter to Thomas Ritchie, December 25, 1820
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Parliament had developed a formal mechanism of removing officials in extreme circumstances. It was borrowed for the U. S. Constitution. See {584256}.
There had not been an audit in over 200 years, and many of the records are missing.
She was a member of the opposition party and was criticizing the Conservative Government.
The irony of this quotation is that he is the architect and controller of the Russian system that he is criticizing.
Roosevelt was responding to proposals that the Governor have the power to remove state and local officials for corrupt acts earlier in their career. With a number of big city political machines nominating and electing officials who had previously been convicted of corruption, there was a movement to give this authority to the Governor. In Boston, Mayor Curley was elected while he was in jail serving time for Corruption as an example. Still for FDR and many others, that was the prerogative of the electorate, and must not be usurped by a governor. In states where corruption was totally rampant, like Texas, the reformers passed laws making convicted criminals ineligible to serve in public office.
His office was responsible for investigation of public official’s corruption. The law changed as Rakintzis was building cases against several prominent politicians. The Greek task forces to investigate corruption operated on shoestring budgets, however, they had already had a few notable victories in a country that was rarely able to get convictions in the past. The immunity statute in effect negated the anti-corruption initiatives in a country that has historically been riddled with political corruption. See {642277} for the “justification” of the immunity legislation.
In England, the King was above the law. However, impeachment was a tool that could be used against his favorite ministers. In debating the United State Constitution one of the first questions to be determined was whether impeachment could be a tool used against the President or like, England, only the other government officials. Franklin urged the President be included. See also Mason: {584246}.
Thomas Jefferson was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He had previously served as the second vice president of the United States under John Adams between 1797 and 1801. The principal author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was a proponent of democracy, republicanism, and individual rights, motivating American colonists to break from the Kingdom of Great Britain and form a new nation; he produced formative documents and decisions at both the state and national levels.
