A group of 16 well-known conservative and libertarian attorneys on Thursday made a statement by calling President Donald Trump’s behavior “fundamentally incompatible with the president’s oath of office,” and urging Congress to pursue an “expeditious impeachment investigation.”
The group, which goes by the name “Checks and Balances,” is composed of former Republican administration officials, lawyers and law professors. The names on the letter: George Conway, Paul Rosenweig, Donald Ayer, Orin Kerr, Trevor Potter, Jonathan Adler, Carrie Cordero, Charles Fried, Stuart Gerson, Peter Keisler, Marisa Maleck, Alan Charles Raul, Jonathan Rose, Andrew Sagor, Jaime Sneider and J.W. Verret.
“We believe the acts revealed publicly over the past several weeks are fundamentally incompatible with the president’s oath of office, his duties as commander in chief, and his constitutional obligation to ‘take care that the laws be faithfully executed,’” the group wrote. “ These acts, based on what has been revealed to date, are a legitimate basis for an expeditious impeachment investigation, vote in the House of Representatives and potential trial in the Senate.”
According to a mission statement, the group is dedicated to advocating for traditionally conservative principles such as “the rule of law, the power of truth, the independence of the criminal justice system, the imperative of individual rights, and the necessity of civil discourse.”
The group declared that the recent events surrounding President Trump’s call with Ukraine and the subsequent coverup made clear that “the president is abusing the office of the presidency for personal political objectives.” They also cite to Trump’s attacks on the whistleblower, the evidence laid out in the Mueller Report, and foreign emoluments to bolster their claim that the president is unfit for office.
“[W]e have not just a political candidate open to receiving foreign assistance to better his chances at winning an election, but a current president openly and privately calling on foreign governments to actively interfere in the most sacred of U.S. democratic processes, our elections,” they wrote. “These activities, which are factually undisputed, undermine the integrity of our elections, endanger global U.S. security and defense partnerships, and threaten our democracy.”
Conway–one of the group’s founders, a noted Trump critic, and the husband of senior White House counselor Kellyanne Conway–also gave a rare interview Thursday morning, in which he appeared to indirectly urge his wife to abandon her position with the administration.
In an interview with former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara–famously fired by Trump–Conway said that he didn’t believe anyone could have a positive effect on Trump as an advisor, suggesting that everyone in the president’s inner-circle, save those working in national security, should quit.
“If you can’t have a positive effect on him, and I don’t think anybody can, yeah,” Conway responded to Bharara’s question about whether administration officials should quit.
[image via Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]
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