Jonathan Turley said on CBS on Monday, Dec. 9, that not only he but also his wife and dog received a lot of threats after he testified for the impeachment committee.
The avalanche of threats befell the George Washington University law professor and his housemates after he testified before the House Judiciary Committee. In his testimony, he said that he found the Democrat’s case too thin for a successful impeachment.
Turley, instead, suggested that, while there may be found sufficient grounds for impeaching the President, the Democrats should not bring the case to the vote by the end of this year, but first complete their case in order to merit impeachment.
“I know you received a lot of threats after what you did last week,” CBS News host of Norah O’Donnell said on Monday.
“And my wife and dog,” Turley interpolated.
Turley was the one witness summoned by the Republicans and the only one of four experts that advised against pushing forward with the impeachment.
During the hearing last week, while on the subject of ‘everyone seems to be going mad at Capitol Hill,’ he said: “I get it. You’re mad. The President is mad. My Republican friends are mad. My Democratic friends are mad. My wife is mad. My kids are mad. Even my dog seems mad, and Luna’s a Goldendoodle, they don’t get mad.”
On the News show, Turley remarked, “Who would shoot a Goldendoodle? Maybe a Shih Tzu, but not a Goldendoodle. I don’t understand where the anger comes from. Although, as an academic, the thought that you could talk about James Madison and that would be fighting words is something I haven’t seen outside of a law school.”
On Tuesday, Turley elaborated on his point on Twitter, stating: “Democratic members have long pledged to unleash the dogs of impeachment to devour this president. Today, the doors finally opened and revealed not at a multi-headed Cerberus, but a couple of underfed chihuahuas. These are viable claims but not in this anemic state.”
As witness selected by Republican members of the House Judiciary Committee, Turley said he received threats since he testified that Democrats’ current impeachment efforts against President Donald Trump don’t hold water.
“Before I finished my testimony, my home and office were inundated with threatening messages and demands that I be fired from George Washington University for arguing that, while a case for impeachment can be made, it has not been made on this record,” Turley wrote in an opinion article published Thursday in The Hill, a day after he testified along with three other legal experts.
Turley, who is a regular contributor to the Hill, accused some of the Democrats on the Judiciary panel of using “scorched earth tactics,” including Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), in trying to refute his testimony.
“My objection is not that you cannot impeach Trump for abuse of power but that this record is comparably thin compared to past impeachments and contains conflicts, contradictions, and gaps including various witnesses not subpoenaed. I suggested that Democrats drop the arbitrary schedule of a vote by the end of December and complete their case and this record before voting on any articles of impeachment. In my view, they have not proven abuse of power in this incomplete record,” he wrote.
Epoch Times reporter Jack Phillips contributed to this report