Kingston doesn’t rule out impeachment in past interview

Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) said he believed Congress would begin taking a serious look at the impeachment of President Obama in a largely unreported interview two weeks ago.

“I think he has done plenty wrong for a lawsuit. Not a day goes by when people don’t talk to us about impeachment,” he said in a radio interview at the time. “I don’t know what rises to that level yet, but I know that there’s a mounting frustration that a lot of people are, you know, getting to, and I think Congress is going to start looking at it very seriously.”

The interview was reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Wednesday and distributed by Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Michelle Nunn and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. 

Kingston is competing against Republican David Perdue in the July 22 primary runoff to face Nunn in the general election. Democrats have privately admitted Kingston would be the tougher opponent in November. 

Kingston seemed skeptical when asked if Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) lawsuit against Obama could be the first step in a possible impeachment, but he said it is possible. 

“You know, it could go in that direction if there was a big discussion,” he said at the time. “I mean, I think it’s possible, but just — it keeps getting worse and worse. It could go in that direction. But I think what the speaker wants to do is stop this abuse of power, stop the end around.” 

Kingston brought up the lawsuit and talk of impeachment during the interview when asked a question about the administration’s decision to swap five Taliban leaders held at Guantanamo Bay prison for Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. 

He said the administration had been getting away with too much and complimented Boehner’s lawsuit, citing the administration’s delay of parts of the healthcare law and its enforcement of immigration laws. 

His nearly two-minute answer begins about 45 minutes into the interview. 

Kingston made the comments before Sarah Palin grabbed headlines last week by calling for the impeachment of Obama over the border crisis. 

A number of Republicans have since distanced themselves from her statements. Kingston did not respond to a request for comment earlier this week when asked by The Washington Post what he thought of her plan.