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You may not have heard of William Belknap, but I suspect that by next week we will all know more about him and not just because of his lavish parties and equally lavish wives.
It’s long dead US politician of the past is suddenly quite key to the present and the question of whether a politician out of office can really be accused.
In 1876, no one could understand how Belknap, this modestly paid Secretary of War, was living the good life on his government salary.
The reality was, he wasn’t, he was up to his neck finely dressed in money-making scams.
Accountable by the Senate, he ran to the White House, resigned and cried for the president.
It made no difference, the House insisted they would go ahead with impeachment accusing him of “prostituting his high office for his lust for private gain.” His argument, that politicians should not escape justice by leaving office.
And there is the part that will engage minds for days to come, as before From President Trump The team argues that it is unconstitutional to impeach a president who is no longer really the president.
His 14-page defense is based on this premise.
It will be a fascinating few weeks if your thing is constitutional law. It’s going to be a fascinating few weeks, even if it isn’t, these days will determine the constitution of this country for the future, based in large part on a long-forgotten politician.
In the end, Belknap was acquitted but was still tried, and his case set an important precedent that will be put to the test in the coming weeks.
