pudge's Journal: Alcee Hastings

Apparently there's actually a movement to get Alcee Hastings as the new chair of the House Intelligence Committee.

Hastings is a former federal judge, and was impeached by the House, and convicted and removed from office by the Senate, for accepting a bribe, and for perjury. He is only the sixth judge to ever be removed from office by the Senate.

He was later elected to Congress in Florida (the Senate did not prohibit him from holding further federal office, though this was within its power), and is the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee (which is terrible enough of the Democrats to have allowed). I believe he is the only impeached federal official ever to later serve in federal elective office.

That he is even being considered for the chairman position shows the Democrats to be no less corrupt than the Republicans are perceived to be. This is actually worse than DeLay remaining on as House speaker, and the Republicans took a lot of grief for that.

As to what Hastings even being in office says about Florida, I don't need to bother mentioning.