The South Dakota Republican Party passed a resolution this weekend calling for the impeachment of President Barack Obama.
Obama has “violated his oath of office in numerous ways,” the resolution states, citing his controversial decision to trade five Taliban prisoners for U.S. Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl and recent carbon emissions regulations, according to a report by the Argus Leader.
“I’ve got a thick book on impeachable offenses of the president,” said Allan Unruh, the tea party activist and chiropractor from Sioux Falls who sponsored the resolution. He said the resolution would “send a symbolic message that liberty shall be the law of the land.”
“If anyone in this room cannot see the horrendous, traitorous scandals run by the Obama administration, I will pray for you,” Larry Klipp of Butte County said during the debate, according to the paper.
Delegates voted 191-176, with the sizable minority criticizing the party for using impeachment as a political statement.
“I believe we should not use the power of impeachment for political purposes,” one delegate from Beadle County, David Wheeler, said. “By doing this, we would look petty, like we can’t achieve our political goals through the political process.” Another, Larry Eliason of Potter County agreed with Wheeler, despite the fact that “the only thing [Obama’s] done the last six years that I approve of is when he adopted a pet.” The only South Dakota representative in the House of Representatives, where impeachment proceedings can be legally begun, isn’t in a rush to jump-start the process. “The congresswoman currently believes the best way for Congress to hold the president accountable is to continue aggressive committee oversight and investigations into the administration’s actions like the ongoing VA scandal, the targeting of conservative groups by the IRS, Benghazi, and the recent Taliban prisoner exchange,” a spokesperson for Rep. Kristi Noem told the Argus Leader.
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