The cofounder of the Federalist Society called for President Donald Trump to be impeached Wednesday following years of ardent support for the President from the conservative establishment.
The Federalist Society is a right-wing organization of lawyers and scholars that has become particularly well known in the Trump era for aiding the President and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-KY) successful efforts to stock the judiciary with ultra-conservative judges.
Together with Brookings fellow Norm Eisen, chairman Steven Calabresi wrote in the New York Times that Trump should be impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate to keep him from ever again seeking office.
“He tried to steal the election and incited a mob to abet his wrongdoing,” they wrote. “He is a danger to the nation and must be removed immediately and disqualified from ever holding public office again.”
The duo is striking: Calabresi of the Federalist Society with Eisen, who actually served as special counsel for the House Judiciary Committee during Trump’s first impeachment, which Calabresi opposed.
Calabresi had also called for a second impeachment inquiry into Trump last summer, after the President floated delaying the November election.
Many criticized the Federalist Society for its lack of condemnation up to this point, particularly because one of its members gave an inflammatory speech to the mob just before it ransacked the Capitol.
Here is John Eastman, chairman of a Federalist Society practice group, at the pre-insurrection rally spouting conspiracy theories about voter fraud. He concludes: “Anybody that is not willing to stand up and [vote to overturn the election] does not deserve to be in the office!” pic.twitter.com/auD2vXSjNE
— Mark Joseph Stern (@mjs_DC) January 13, 2021
Eastman, chairman of the Federalist Society’s federalism and separation of powers practice group, also tried to help Trump convince Vice President Mike Pence that he did have the power to overturn the results of the November election during an Oval Office meeting, according to the New York Times.
