Congressman Eli Crane | Official U.S. House headshot
Congressman Eli Crane | Official U.S. House headshot
On February 11, 2025, Representative Eli Crane of Arizona announced his intention to introduce articles of impeachment against U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer of the Southern District of New York. Today, Rep. Crane followed through by officially filing these articles for high crimes and misdemeanors.
Rep. Crane stated, “Activist judges cannot stop the President from executing his Article II powers. White House employees have every right to access the very systems they oversee. President Trump campaigned on rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse from the federal government, and the American people gave him a mandate to do so.” He added that this represents "judicial overreach and a clear threat to democracy."
The controversy stems from an incident on February 8, 2025, when Judge Engelmayer responded to an emergency request by 19 Democratic attorneys general seeking to prevent Trump administration officials from accessing a Treasury Department payment system. Judge Engelmayer sided with the states' assessment and blocked political appointees like Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent from accessing these records.
According to Article II, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, it is stated that the President "shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed." By restricting executive duties in this manner, Rep. Crane argues that Judge Engelmayer violated separation of powers.
The impeachment resolution accuses Judge Engelmayer of abusing his power by using his judicial position for personal interests and political gain. It cites specific actions where he allegedly restrained access to Treasury Department records and systems for President Trump and Secretary Bessent.
These actions are claimed to represent bias and favoritism detrimental to judicial function. The resolution asserts that Judge Engelmayer's conduct interfered with public will by engaging in actions beyond his judicial authority.
Judge Engelmayer is thus accused of high crimes and misdemeanors with a call for removal from office based on these allegations.
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