Mark Herring Impeachment Inquiry Introduced

Last edited Mon May 19, 2014, 10:39 AM - Edit history (2)

By Bob Marshall. Surprised? I snipped lines and lines of outrage.

Mark Herring Impeachment Inquiry Introduced

Manassas, VA - Today, I have introduced two resolutions in the Virginia House of Delegates directing the two Standing Committees of that body with jurisdiction over such matters to make inquiry into whether certain actions of Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring constitute impeachable offenses under Article IV, Section 17 of the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
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He has unilaterally rejected the sovereign will of the people of Virginia as expressed by their approval of an Amendment to the Constitution.
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He has not presented a sufficient and meritorious explanation to justify his acts and omissions. ... These acts and omissions have included the following matters:

As an attorney licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Mr. Herring is obligated to follow the Virginia Code of Professional Conduct in his service to his client, the Commonwealth of Virginia. He has betrayed those responsibilities by taking legal positions in court at variance with the authorized position of his client. And he has intentionally engaged in conduct which is prejudicial and damaging to the legal position of the Commonwealth of Virginia in federal court.

05/15/2014
BY: MIKE VALERIO

It was a bold move by Del. Bob Marshall (R-Manassas) Thursday, filing two resolutions to start an impeachment inquiry against Attorney General Mark Herring.

Del. Marshall told NBC12 before our 5:30 broadcast we could “christen and baptize the news” of his impeachment inquiry. Marshall said he took the step reluctantly, two days after Herring argued against the Commonwealth’s constitutional ban on same sex marriage.

But 25 minutes after we confirmed the developments, a spokesperson for Speaker Bill Howell (R-Stafford) indicated the impeachment effort is going nowhere fast.

"The Speaker has expressed his concerns regarding the Attorney General's actions, but does not believe impeachment is an appropriate or practical recourse at the moment,” wrote Spokesperson Matt Moran Thursday.

By Jenna Portnoy, Published: May 15

RICHMOND — His guardian angel made him do it. ... Del. Robert G. Marshall credits a little divine intervention with giving him the final push he needed to call for an impeachment inquiry into Attorney General Mark R. Herring, a Democrat who has charged through a series of controversial actions since he took office in January.

Marshall (R-Prince William) took the rare step Thursday, two days after spotting Herring at a federal appeals court hearing over the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. Herring's support for overturning that ban and his decision last month to grant in-state college tuition to some Virginians who came to the country illegally as children are among the actions that pushed Marshall to action.
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Marshall insisted the gesture is sincere and not meant merely as political theater. But opposition from the Republican speaker of the House of Delegates, where the state constitution calls for impeachment proceedings to begin, makes Marshall’s chances slim.
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{The office of House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford)} made it clear again Thursday that he disagreed with the approach. ... “The speaker has expressed his concerns regarding the attorney general’s actions but does not believe impeachment is an appropriate or practical recourse at the moment,” Howell spokesman Matthew Moran said. ... Marshall remains undeterred. ... “The speaker better think twice,” he said. “Has he read my resolution? He maybe should re-read the resolution first. If he still thinks that he’s in for an education by the people of Virginia.”