Bush Article of Impeachment V

Article V.
ILLEGALLY MISSPENDING FUNDS TO SECRETLY BEGIN A WAR OF AGGRESSION

In his conduct while President of the United States, George W. Bush, in violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of President of the United States and, to the best of his ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States, and in violation of his constitutional duty under Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution "to take care that the laws be faithfully executed", has both personally and acting through his agents and subordinates, together with the Vice President, illegally misspent funds to begin a war in secret prior to any Congressional authorization.

The president used over $2 billion in the summer of 2002 to prepare for the invasion of Iraq. First reported in Bob Woodward's book, Plan of Attack, and later confirmed by the Congressional Research Service, Bush took money appropriated by Congress for Afghanistan and other programs and—with no Congressional notification -- used it to build airfields in Qatar and to make other preparations for the invasion of Iraq. This constituted a violation of Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution, as well as a violation of the War Powers Act of 1973.

In all of these actions and decisions, President George W. Bush has acted in a manner contrary to his trust as President and Commander in Chief, and subversive of constitutional government, to the prejudice of the cause of law and justice and to the manifest injury of the people of the United States. Wherefore, President George W. Bush, by such conduct, is guilty of an impeachable offense warranting removal from office.

Documentation:

U.S. Constitution. Article I, Section 9.

The War Powers Act

Congressman John Conyers, The Constitution in Crisis: Misuse of Government Funds.

(31 U.S.C. § 1301)
Federal law makes it illegal to use government funds appropriated to the government for any purpose other than those specifically permitted by the appropriations. It specifically states that “appropriations shall be applied only to the objects for which the appropriations were made except as otherwise provided by law.” 31 U.S.C.§ 1301. The illegal use of funds would cause an automatic diminution in funds available to the guilty agency. To determine whether a government activity is legal, it is important to understand whether the agency or office that engaged in the activity was permitted to expend funds for that specific purpose. See U.S. GENERAL ACCOUNTING OFFICE, PRINCIPLES OF FEDERAL APPROPRIATIONS LAW 4-9 (3d ed. 2004). As a general rule, of course, none of the functions of government offices include the dissemination of false information, the dissemination of information for political ends, or retribution against political opponents. For example, the Constitution provides that the President shall be commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, have the authority to grant pardons, have the power to sign treaties, and nominate civil officers and ambassadors and judges. U.S. CONST. art. II, s 2. Congress has provided funds to the President to hire staff and carry out his responsibilities; none of these appropriated funds is conditioned upon the President misleading the public or manipulating government agencies. See Pub. L. No. 108-7, Division J, title lll (appropriations for fiscal year 2003 enacted in early 2003).

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