Trump Slams ‘Unhinged’ Tom Steyer, Who Wants To Impeach Him

WASHINGTON, DC — President Trump reacted predictably to environmentalist Tom Steyer's drive to impeach him, calling the California billionaire and former hedge fund manager "wacky" and "totally unhinged" on Twitter Friday. Steyer announced last week that he is bankrolling a $10 million campaign calling for Trump's impeachment, calling the president "a clear and present danger who is mentally unstable and armed with nuclear weapon."

Steyer founded and managed San Francisco-based Farallon Capital and ran the hedge fund for 26 years until 2012, when he sold his interests and shifted his focus to politics and environmental issues. In the 2016 election cycle, the political mega-donor spent about $90 million backing like-minded Democrats, many of whom were battered badly in the polls.

In typical Twitter saber-rattling form, Trump said Steyer "has been fighting me and my Make America Great Again agenda from [the] beginning" and "never wins elections."

The impeachment ads, which have been running on Fox News — where many in the president's base get their news —and other national outlets, urge viewers to call their congressional representatives and demand they bring articles of impeachment against the president. A NeedToImpeach website includes a letter that says, in part: "Donald Trump is not fit for office. It is evident that there is zero reason to believe he can be a good president."

Steyer's campaign is perhaps emotionally appealing to critics of Trump's unorthodox leadership style, but a long shot, according to constitutional scholars. The 25th Amendment gives the president's Cabinet some authority to take steps to remove a commander-in-chief, but the clause is problematic in that it doesn’t make clear what constitutes the "inability" of a president to discharge the responsibilities of the office, nor does it say if the president'’s removal should be permanent.

Congress can also move to impeach a president under powers granted in the Constitution for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors" with a majority of votes in the House and a two-thirds majority in the Senate. Impeachable offenses aren't the same as crimes listed in the U.S. Code; rather, a president can be held accountable for actions that aren't criminal.

You can read more about Steyer on Patch.

(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, file)