Federalist Society co-founder says Trump's tweet about delaying election is grounds for impeachment


He voted for President Trump in 2016 and opposed his impeachment earlier this year, but Steven Calabresi, co-founder of the conservative Federalist Society, believes Trump took things too far by tweeting about delaying November's election.
In an op-ed published Thursday afternoon by The New York Times, Calabresi, a professor at Northwestern University's Pritzker School of Law, wrote that he was "appalled" by Trump's tweet. "Until recently, I had taken as political hyperbole the Democrats' assertion that President Trump is a fascist," he added. "But this latest tweet is fascistic and is itself grounds for the president's immediate impeachment again by the House of Representatives and his removal from office by the Senate."
Through wars, the Great Depression, and general upheaval, the United States has never canceled or postponed a presidential election, Calabresi said, and Trump's fears over increased mail-in voting during the coronavirus pandemic is no reason to consider doing so this year. Each state, he wrote, will decide "whether to allow universal mail-in voting and Article II of the Constitution explicitly gives the states total power over the selection of presidential electors."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Now is the time for every Republican in Congress to stand up to Trump and let him know he "cannot postpone the federal election," Calabresi said. "Doing so would be illegal, unconstitutional, and without precedent in American history. Anyone who says otherwise should never be elected to Congress again." Read the entire op-ed at The New York Times.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
An American girl takes on London, 'Bosch' gets another spinoff and Washington Black leaps from page to screen in July TV
the week recommends This month's new television releases include 'Too Much,' 'Ballard' and 'Washington Black'
-
Australian woman found guilty of mushroom murders
speed read Erin Patterson murdered three of her ex-husband's relatives by serving them toxic death cap mushrooms
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska
-
Trump sues LA over immigration policies
Speed Read He is suing over the city's sanctuary law, claiming it prevents local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration authorities
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage