Scholar: Trump Could Be Impeached Over Trump University

One scholar believes that there is enough evidence to impeach Donald Trump from the moment he moves into the White House.

According to University of Utah Law Professor Christopher Lewis Peterson, the pending lawsuit against the now-defunct Trump University real estate seminar program could provide adequate grounds to proceed with an impeachment, according to a 22-page article Peterson wrote and submitted to SSRN.

“Unlike his promised crimes yet to come, the illegal acts in Trump’s high pressure wealth seminars have already occurred,” Peterson wrote, arguing that, if Trump is convicted of defrauding customers, he could be booted from the Oval Office. “Indeed, a federal judge appointed under Article III of the U.S. Constitution has already determined that Trump’s alleged actions, if true, constitute fraud and racketeering.”

Though impeaching Trump based on his alleged behavior before taking office could prove legally challenging – particularly with a Republican-dominated House and Senate – the Constitution does not specifically say that Congress cannot impeach a president for his actions before being sworn in, Peterson said.

“Congress would be well within its legal rights under the Constitution to insist upon a President who is not a fraudster or a racketeer as defined in its own law,” added the law professor.

Though the American public voted for Trump with knowledge about the pending lawsuits against him, Peterson contended that Americans might not have been aware of the extent of his alleged crimes.

“Trump appears to have lied about his role in Trump University to students, he has throughout the election continued to misrepresent the cases that focus on his misrepresentations,” the Utah educator wrote.

Trump’s surprise presidential win has elicited excitement from some and dread from others, with online searches for “How to impeach a president” skyrocketing since November 8, notes the Independent. The question surged by 4,850 percent since then, with the highest number of hits in blue states like Hawaii, California, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado. “How can a president serve a third term” and “how can a president be removed from office” were also popular searches.

Sources: Prof. Christopher Lewis Peterson/SSRN, Independent / Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore/Flickr