U.S. Rep. Eli Crane Representative for Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District | Official U.S. House headshot
U.S. Rep. Eli Crane Representative for Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District | Official U.S. House headshot
On February 11, 2025, Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ) 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 has followed through by officially filing these articles, accusing Judge Engelmayer of high crimes and misdemeanors.
Rep. Crane said, "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 further commented on what he perceives as judicial overreach: "This is obviously judicial overreach and a clear threat to democracy. If these partisan judges want to be politicians, they should resign and run for office."
The background leading to this action involves an incident on February 8, 2025, when Judge Engelmayer responded to an emergency request by 19 Democratic attorneys general aiming to prevent Trump administration officials from accessing a payment system within the Treasury Department. The judge sided with the states' assessment and blocked political appointees, including Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, from accessing these records.
According to Article II, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution, the President "shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed." By restricting the Executive Branch's duties in this regard, Rep. Crane argues that Judge Engelmayer unlawfully violated the separation of powers.
The impeachment resolution includes allegations that Judge Engelmayer abused his power by advancing personal interests and political gain through his judicial position. It asserts that his actions have resulted in apparent bias and favoritism detrimental to the judiciary's orderly functioning.
The resolution claims that Judge Engelmayer restrained President Trump and Secretary Bessent from granting access to Department of Treasury records or data systems containing personally identifiable information or confidential financial information.
In conclusion, Rep. Crane's resolution accuses Judge Engelmayer of engaging in actions outside his legal duties and compromising judicial impartiality. The resolution calls for Judge Engelmayer's removal from office due to high crimes and misdemeanors.
Information from this article can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up