Now, someone said, we have decided how to choose the president. But what are we to do if he does bad things after being chosen? We should have some way of dismissing that person.
Yes, the delegates agreed. It should be possible to try the president, and if he is found guilty, remove him from office.
Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania spoke in support of the right of impeachment, should the president be persuaded to betray his trust.
The delegates approved a proposal for removing a president found guilty of bribery, treason or other high crimes.
The last major question about executive authority was the question of veto power over the national legislature.
Not one delegate was willing to give the president complete power to reject new laws. And yet they felt he should have some voice in the lawmaking process. If this were not done, they said, the office of president would have little meaning. And the national legislature would have the power of a dictator.
James Madison offered a solution.
The president should have the power to veto a law, Madison said. But his veto could be overturned if most of the members of the legislature voted to pass the law again.
The final convention document listed more details about the office. For example, it said the president had to a "natural born citizen" of the United States or a citizen at the time the Constitution was adopted. The president must have lived in the United States for at least 14 years and be at least 35 years old.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25