North Carolina Rep. Walter Jones, an outspoken anti-war Republican, said Thursday that he was prepared to attempt to impeach President Barack Obama if U.S. military action in Syria reached a certain point.
"If Congress sends one troop, if one of our troops goes to Syria and is killed, I will introduce articles of impeachment against the President," Jones said at a Capitol Hill news conference, alongside other lawmakers who expressed concerns about the arming of Syrian rebels and the general direction of U.S. involvement in the region.
Jones has been at the forefront of anti-war efforts for years. While he initially voted to approve the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he emerged as one of the loudest opposing voices during the latter half of Bush's presidency, and even supported a move to impeach then-Vice President Dick Cheney.
He's been equally aggressive during Obama's tenure. In 2011, Jones sued the administration for getting American forces involved in Libya without first obtaining congressional approval.
"The president is not a king. He was elected by the people, just like the House and Senate," he said at the time. "I think he is absolutely off-base. I think that is an abuse of power, and that's why we're going to the courts."
In 2012, he prepared his first impeachment resolution regarding Syria, arguing that "the use of offensive military force by a President without prior and clear authorization of an Act of Congress" would constitute "an impeachable high crime and misdemeanor under article II, section 4 of the Constitution."
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