ANOTHER SO-CALLED “VICTIM” – THE WHINING OF ALCEE HASTINGS!

November 28, 2006, 8:04 a.m. The National Review

Alcee Hastings: I’m An Innocent Victim of Politics

He says his impeachment was a political hit job. The record says
otherwise.

By Byron York

The procedures of the impeachment were discussed extensively at a July 26, 1988, meeting of the committee in which members unanimously voted in favor of articles of impeachment. At the meeting, Michigan Democratic Rep. John Conyers, who chaired the subcommittee which investigated Hastings, addressed the political issue head-on.

“It was said at times during the course of the subcommittee’s inquiry that impeachment is a political process, and that may be true, but it is also misleading,” Conyers said. “Impeachment is political in the sense that it is committed to the House of Representatives, a popularly elected
and, therefore, political body. Impeachment, however, is not, nor should it be, treated in the way that we treat a piece of legislation.”“An impeachment decision must be based upon the facts. It would be inappropriate, in my opinion, for any member of Congress to make factual determinations based upon polls or letters received or calls coming into one’s office or from any other secondary matter. “We must weigh the evidence and reach conclusions based upon what that evidence discloses, and not upon anything else.”

Conyers, who at the beginning of the proceeding said he had initially doubted the charges against Hastings case and therefore took particular pains to make sure Hastings received fair treatment, then went on to list what the committee had done. He did not want to “rubberstamp” any previous investigation, Conyers said, so he and his investigators re-reviewed everything. “We reconstructed all of the hearings, trial materials, [and] grand jury information concerning the allegations,” Conyers said.

“We obtained complete records of the proceedings involving Judge Hastings before the Eleventh Circuit Judicial Council, the transcript of Judge Hastings’ criminal trial, and the transcript of the criminal trial of [Hastings’s alleged co-conspirator] William Borders. Independent interviews of
numerous persons were conducted.”All that would have been a time-consuming process under any circumstances.

But Conyers told the committee that the investigators’ work was made more difficult by Hastings. “During the course of the inquiry, the subcommittee sought certain records from the courts,” Conyers continued. “Judge Hastings, despite his assertions that he was interested in a full and complete disclosure of the facts, resisted these efforts. The matters were litigated and ultimately the committee prevailed. The delay occasioned by the litigation, however, has probably doubled the amount of time spent conducting the inquiry.”

It’s bad enough when the “flying Imans” claim to be victims, despite their overtly provocative behavior, but a former judge really should know better!

Alcee Hastings was impeached and convicted because he was GUILTY and he has absolutely no business being the head of any Congressional committee, least of all intelligence! He is as “bent” as they come and would be an absolutely heaven-sent target of corrupters, because he is, after all, already corrupt!

Jane Harmon is qualified for the post and deserves it. We should all be writing to our congressmen demanding that Alcee Hastings be denied the post and that Jane Harmon be put in the position because she is far less likely to suborn our national security!