House Proceeding 06-19-09 on Jun 19th, 2009 :: 1:05:00 to 1:07:55
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1:04:56 to 1:05:16( Edit History Discussion )

Jerrold Nadler: the constitution subcommittee the remaing time on our side. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from new york is recognized for 3 1/4 minutes. mr. nadler: i thank the mr. speaker, it is always a sad day when the house has to impeach a federal judge.

1:05:00 to 1:07:55( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Jerrold Nadler

1:05:17 to 1:05:39( Edit History Discussion )

Jerrold Nadler: yet today that's our constitutional duty. impeachment is a power congress r rare that a federal judge will so abuse his position that impehment is required and because it could affect the independence of the judiciary. the constitution reserve this is extraordinary remedy for extreme cases. this regrettably is one of those cases. the task force established by

1:05:40 to 1:06:02( Edit History Discussion )

Jerrold Nadler: whether judge kent should be impeached has recommended the articles of impeachment we are considering today. i want to comment the members of the task force and the chairman, mr. schiff, for their independent, diligent and thorough investigation. the evidence they sembled is copious and sobering. they made a strong case for impeachment as both copious and

1:06:03 to 1:06:23( Edit History Discussion )

Jerrold Nadler: -- as necessary. he has been sentenced to 33 months in prison. as part of the plea proceed he signed a statement in which he admitted a described the conduct that constituted the conduct he signed the statement under oath before the court at the time of the plea. in his signed statement he admitted to making false

1:06:24 to 1:06:44( Edit History Discussion )

Jerrold Nadler: statements to a special investigatory committee about court employees he also admitted having nonconsensual sexual contact with two subordinate court employees. two of the articles of impeachment allege judge kent sexually assaulted these two women. his admissions he had

1:06:45 to 1:07:05( Edit History Discussion )

Jerrold Nadler: nonconsensual sexual contact with the women is indeed a powerful one. any unwanted sexual touching can be considered a sexual assault so judge kent by his own words has come close to admiing that he had -- he assaulted the women. the only remaining question being the extend of the assault that question has been addressed by the swo

1:07:06 to 1:07:26( Edit History Discussion )

Jerrold Nadler: testimony of the women before the task force, detailing judge kent's repeated abuse of his authority by coercing nonconsensual sex at the price of retaining their jobs. in short, the executive branch may prosecute a federal judge for violation of the criminal laws and the jew darblee branch may punish that federal judge

1:07:27 to 1:07:48( Edit History Discussion )

Jerrold Nadler: upon his conviction buonly the congress can remove a federal judge if it determines his behavior renders him unfit to hold office. in circumstances such as these, where judge kent misused the power of his office to unrmine rather than uphold the law, and where he abused his power as a federal judge by sexually assaulting subordinates and lying to the

1:07:49 to 1:07:56( Edit History Discussion )

Jerrold Nadler: fifth circuit investigatory committee about that, our duty to inpeach is clear for these reasons, i intend to