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WASHINGTON - May 27 - A coalition of veterans' groups, peace groups, and political activist groups announced a campaign today to urge that the U.S. Congress launch a formal investigation into whether President Bush has committed impeachable offenses in connection with the Iraq war. The campaign focuses on evidence that recently emerged in a British memo containing minutes of a secret July 2002 meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his top national security officials.
John Bonifaz, a Boston attorney specializing in constitutional litigation, sent a memo to Congressman John Conyers of Michigan, the Ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, urging him to introduce a Resolution of Inquiry directing the House Judiciary Committee to launch a formal investigation into whether sufficient grounds exist for the House to impeach President Bush.
Bonifaz's memo, made available today at www.AfterDowningStreet.org, begins: "The recent release of the Downing Street Memo provides new and compelling evidence that the President of the United States has been actively engaged in a conspiracy to deceive and mislead the United States Congress and the American people about the basis for going to war against Iraq. If true, such conduct constitutes a High Crime under Article II, Section 4 of the United States Constitution."
In February and March 2003, John Bonifaz served as lead counsel for a coalition of United States soldiers, parents of U.S. soldiers, and Members of Congress (led by Representatives John Conyers, Jr. and Dennis Kucinich) in a federal lawsuit challenging President George W. Bush’s authority to wage war against Iraq absent a congressional declaration of war or equivalent action. Bonifaz is the author of Warrior-King: The Case for Impeaching George W. Bush (NationBooks-NY, 2004, foreword by Rep. John Conyers, Jr.), which chronicles that case and its meaning for the United States Constitution.
The organizations forming the AfterDowningStreet.org coalition include: Global Exchange, Gold Star Families for Peace, Democrats.com, Veterans for Peace, Code Pink, Progressive Democrats of America, and Democracy Rising. These organizations, beginning today, will be urging their members to contact their Representatives to urge support of a Resolution of Inquiry.
For more information, see www.AfterDowningStreet.org, or contact: Democrats.com, President Bob Fertik, 718-424-7772, and Washington Director David Swanson, 202-329-7847 (contact Swanson to set up an interview with Bonifaz.)
Global Exchange, Co-Founder Medea Benjamin, 415-235-6517.
Code Pink, Executive Committee Member Gael Murphy, 202-412-6700.
Gold Star Families for Peace Member Cindy Sheehan, 707-365-7750. (Sheehan's son, U.S. Army Spc. Casey Sheehan was killed in Iraq April 4, 2004.)
Consultant Steve Cobble, 571-274-5144.
Progressive Democrats of America Executive Director Tim Carpenter, 413-320-2015.
Veterans for Peace Executive Director Michael T. McPhearson, 314-725-6005.
Democracy Rising's Kevin Zeese, 301-965-6582.
Rainbow Push's Butch Wing, 773-FREEDOM
Velvet Revolution's Brad Friedman, 323 850 1231
Justice Through Music's Jeff Cohen, jtmpinfo@comcast.net
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