Biden, Bolton, ‘Age of Impeachment,’: 4 highlights from Trump impeachment trial

‘Age of impeachment’

Kenneth Starr, a Trump defense team member who gained national headlines as the independent counsel investigating the Clinton impeachment in the 1990s, spoke about what he called “the age of impeachment.”

“The Senate is being called to sit as the high court of impeachment all too frequently. Indeed, we are living in what I think can aptly be described as the age of impeachment,” said Starr during the defense’s presentation, as reported by The Hill.

“Instead of a once-in-a-century phenomenon, which it had been, presidential impeachment has become a weapon to be wielded against one’s political opponent.”

Starr went on to say that the Clinton impeachment “demonstrates that, while highly relevant, the commission of a crime is by no means sufficient to warrant the removal of our duly-elected president.”

Starr’s arguments were disputed by some, including Duke University Law School professor Walter Dellinger, who once had Starr as a student.

“Starr returns to the implausible argument of the need for a crime as a factor. A president who refused to defend the U.S. against a foreign attack would not be violating any criminal law,” stated Dellinger on Twitter.

“Starr draws the need for a crime from ‘the common law of presidential impeachments.’  Two presidents have been tried, both happened to allege crimes, and one of those was a made up ‘crime’ of dismissing a cabinet member. Thus the ‘N’ is either ‘1’ or ‘2’.  Hardly a ‘trend,’” he added.