August 21st, 2013

05:14 PM ET

2 months ago

GOP Rep: Impeaching Obama 'would be a dream come true'

Posted by

CNN's Bryan Koenig

(CNN) – Evidence of wrongdoing is about the only thing stopping Republican Rep. Kerry Bentivolio from attempting to impeach President Barack Obama, he told voters Monday.

In a YouTube video first reported by the liberal-leaning website Mediaite, Bentivolio responded to a woman during a Q&A session that "if I could write that bill and submit it," he said, moving to impeach Obama "would be a dream come true."

The first-term Representative from Michigan's 11th district was asked who would do something "to stop this runaway train that we have in the White House," by an unnamed woman off-screen.
"Who is going to stop Obama from everything that he is doing against our Constitution? He needs to be stopped," the woman said.
Bentivolio answered that he had looked at means to impeach Obama, saying "I feel your pain," particularly after hearing Obama speak at an unnamed event.
"I stood 12 feet away from the guy and listened to him. And I couldn't stand being there," Bentivolio, a former Santa Claus impersonator, teacher and reindeer farmer.
"But because he is president, I have to respect the office."
According to Bentivolio, who sits on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, he consulted attorneys. "These are lawyers, PhDs in history, I said; tell me how can I impeach the President of the United States."
The response, Bentivolio said, was that he needed evidence. While he didn't name any specific charges, the potential evidence he cited would be a theoretical email from the White House to the IRS specifically ordering the targeting of conservative groups for scrutiny in their tax exempt status application.
First on CNN: FEC Republican tells CNN of new IRS links
Despite ongoing Congressional scrutiny, no proof has yet emerged that the White House ordered any extra IRS scrutiny of conservative groups.
"Until we have evidence, you're going to become a laughing stock if you submitted a bill to impeach the president," Bentivolio said.
"And there are some people out there, no matter what Obama does; he's still the greatest president they have ever had. That's what you're fighting."
The idea of impeaching Obama has come up several times recently, including when Republican Rep. Blake Farenthold told his Texas constituents that the House of Representatives "could probably get the votes" to impeach Obama.
Unlike Bentivolio, Farenthold did not name any specific wrongdoing he would charge Obama with, although he did caution that a failed attempt at impeachment would do more harm than good.
As he closed out his remarks, Bentivolio said that the most corrupt institution in Washington was not the president but in fact the media, contrasted to Congress, whom he said were typically honest.
"Every congressman I've had, well at least on my side of the aisle, has been very straight and forward," Bentivolio said.

Filed under: Michigan • President Obama