Just hours after he stormed out of President Obama’s State of the Union address Tuesday, Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas) announced he's considering filing articles of impeachment against the president.
Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas), right, participates in a mock swearing-in ceremony with Speaker of the House Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) (AP)
“I’m considering filing Articles of Impeachment against Barack Obama,” Stockman announced on a website backing his senate run.
“You see, I walked out of Obama’s State of the Union address last night,” Stockman’s announcement added. “Obama defiantly vowed not only to radically expand the reach of government from cradle to grave, but to smash the Constitution’s restrictions on government power while doing it.”
The Texas congressman explained that he left the president’s speech early because he was upset after “hearing how the president is further abusing his Constitutional powers.”
"I could not bear to watch as he continued to cross the clearly-defined boundaries of the Constitutional separation of powers," Stockman said in a statement released shortly after the president finished his address. "Needless to say, I am deeply disappointed in the tone and content of tonight's address."
Stockman accused the president of promising to "break his oath of office and begin enacting his own brand of law through executive decree."
"This is a wholesale violation of his oath of office and a disqualifying offense," he said, adding that the president has steadfastly refused to admit "his policies have failed."
He continued, accusing the president of advocating a "blueprint for perpetual poverty."
Not long after releasing the anti-SOTU statement, Stockman raised the issue of impeachment.
“Obama defiantly vowed not only to radically expand the reach of government from cradle to grave, but to smash the Constitution’s restrictions on government power while doing it. His goal is to eliminate our constitutional republic,” he said Wednesday. “Last year I said I would consider impeachment as a last resort to stop Obama’s abuse of power. And, quite frankly, we’re running out of options.”
Stockman's impeachment threat comes shortly after his return from an unexplained absence that kept him from voting in the House and campaigning against Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas).
He claimed Monday that he wasn’t “missing in action,” but that he was busy partaking in a House-sanctioned international trip.
However, the House Foreign Affairs Committee said that Stockman’s overseas trip began Jan. 17 and ended on Monday. He didn’t cast a single vote between Jan. 9 and Jan. 28. Further, every other lawmaker on the international trip managed to participate in House votes prior to leaving the United States.
The Texas congressman missed a total of 17 straight votes, including a vote to approve a $1 trillion omnibus spending bill.
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This post has been updated.
