Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, the second highest-ranking elected official in the state, called for President Obama’s impeachment this week.
The Republican politician told a Tea Party forum Monday, “Barack Obama ought to be impeached, Not only for trampling on our liberties, but what he did in Benghazi is just a crime,” the Texas Observer quoted his speech.
Speaking to The Observer after the event, Dewhurst elaborated on his statement.
“I think this president, Barack Obama, has disregarded federal law. He’s tried to do things which are not authorized under federal law, such as with immigration, such as not following our federal drug laws,” Dewhurst told the Observer. “He’s created winners and losers out of Obamacare where he has no authority, such as allowing for the unions and big businesses to postpone their mandates for a year.”
Dewhurst further took Obama to task for the administration’s handling of the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya — which left four Americans dead, including the ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens.
Dewhurst’s spokesman, Travis Considine, told the Texas Tribune that the lieutenant governor, himself a former CIA officer, “feels very strongly about the tragedy in Benghazi and has said that Congress should consider impeaching the President over the tragedy.”
“David Dewhurst also believes that President Obama should be held accountable for Washington’s failure to secure the border and the gross overreach of the federal government under Obamacare,” Considine added.
Dewhurst lost a Senate primary run to Texas Sen. Tex Cruz in 2012 and is seeking re-election in 2014.