CINCINNATI, Ohio — Impeaching Gov. Mike DeWine was something Republican State Rep. John Becker says has been on his mind for a while now.

 

What You Need To Know

  • State Rep. John Becker has drafted 10 Articles of Impeachment to impeach Gov. Mike DeWine

  • The articles outline how DeWine has unlawfully cancelled the primary election and violated people's civil liberties by creating the mask mandate

  • The Governor's Office issued a statement saying DeWine is focused on saving lives and the economy, not the articles of impeachment.


“This is something I started actually talking about back in March when the governor canceled the election,” said Becker. “Then something I started working on a couple of months ago, and then interest in it really heated up over the last couple of weeks.”

So he drafted the 10 articles of impeachment. The first few articles accuse the governor of violating the separation of powers by directing and allow the Ohio Department of Health to issue orders outside the scope of its authority.

It also claims the governor violated the oath of office when he canceled the the March 17 primary election and rescheduled another one in June. 

“There's been an abuse of power, there's been a division of powers, and he's crossed that line, you know, taking over legislative power and arguably he has ignored court orders,” said Becker.

Articles four and five allege the governor created economic hardship on Ohio businesses and the health care system and violated student's liberties by shutting down schools and requiring students to wear face coverings. 

“I got parents going nuts because they're having to force their kids to wear masks,” he said.

Articles six and seven state the governor provided misleading COVID-19 data and violated Ohioans’ civil liberties when he created the stay at home order.

“We're all adults here—we're all big people,” he said. “The people of Ohio are smart enough to look at the evidence on both sides. Whether it's to wear masks or not to wear masks, and there's evidence on both sides of that, people can decide for themselves if it makes sense.”

Article eight states the governor violated people’s rights to exercise their religion when he mandated people wear face coverings during worship. 

Article nine accuses the governor of promoting fear by mandating and using coercion to force businesses to comply. And article 10 outlines restrictions on alcohol sales.  

We reached out to DeWine's office. In a written statement, the office stated DeWine is focused on saving lives during the pandemic and not the articles of impeachment.

As for Becker, he said he is looking to get more sponsors on board over the next two weeks before filing it with the House Clerk. But he feels something must be done.

“If the courts aren't gonna stop him, the General Assembly's not going to stop him, if the people aren't gonna stop him, then there's nothing stopping him,” he said. “And, you know, he's on his own.”

To remove DeWine from office, a majority of the house would need to approve, and then two-thirds of the Ohio Senate would have to vote to convict him.