BREAKING: NC House of Representatives Files Articles of Impeachment Against Gov. Cooper
March 13, 2017Renewed chaos across the nation erupted this morning as Republican members of the North Carolina House of Representatives filed official articles of impeachment against newly-elected Democratic Governor Roy Cooper, citing "crimes of high sedition against the federal government of the United States" as the main reason for their widely unexpected and immensely controversial action.
Led by freshman Representative Tammy Covil of New Hanover County, Republican legislators accused Governor Cooper of conspiring with fellow Democratic strategists and state officeholders to defy President Cruz's highly contentious new executive order gutting key parts of the Affordable Care Act law, with Covil contenting that "Governor Cooper has repeatedly and openly disobeyed orders issued by the federal government, a clear misuse of the powers entrusted to him that calls for his immediate removal from office under all circumstances." Covil was joined a number of other Republicans including House Majority Leader Mike Hager, who argued that "Governor Cooper's decision to defy federal authority and force the ACA upon the people of North Carolina is an unconscionable violation of the principles that the people of our state elected him to govern by," saying that "we need true leadership in North Carolina, not that of seditious Governor who abuses his powers in insubordinate attempts to usurp President Cruz's authority."
While Republicans do have the necessary 2/3 majority in the state House necessary to pass the impeachment charges and relay them to the Senate, which will conduct the impeachment trial, it is unknown whether the articles will be approved by enough of the state's legislators to proceed, with many suspecting that at least some House Republicans will vote against the charges. However, little is known about the intentions of other GOP lawmakers in the state at this point, and no potential outcome has yet been ruled out.
The reaction to the announcement of the impeachment charges was swift and sharp, with Governor Cooper calling the attempts of Republican lawmakers to impeach him as "treasonous in nature," accusing the GOP of "fabricating false charges against [his] administration in order to regain political power and defy the true interests of the North Carolinian people." Cooper was joined by a number of other high-ranking Democratic elected officials in opposing the impeachment charges, with Democratic Governors' Association Head Terry McAuliffe of Virginia calling the allegations "absolutely outrageous" and "futile" in a harsh rebuke of the state House's actions. Former President Barack Obama labeled Governor Cooper as a "great man and a great governor absolutely undeserving of these fallacious charges," with former Secretary of State and Senator Hillary Clinton commenting that "Governor Cooper has done absolutely nothing wrong and should not have to deal with these outrageous falsehoods exuded by power-hungry GOP operatives."
The status of the Governor Cooper's impeachment charges will be updated as necessary.