Originally published March 6 2015
Oklahoma legislator proposes giving government workers absolute immunity from nearly all crimes
by J. D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) An Oklahoma state lawmaker has proposed legislation that would essentially protect all of the state's elected politicians from being arrested for a wide range of criminal activity.
According to a report by Counter Current News, taking bribes, breaking laws and enacting unconstitutional legislation as a sop to corporate interests has pretty much been standard operating procedure in American politics.
But state Rep. Kevin Calvey, R-Oklahoma City, wants to make it official by preventing the arrest of state officials for many crimes and unconscionable behaviors:
Representative Calvey has introduced House Bill 2206, which would prohibit Oklahoma's district attorneys from prosecuting state officials, granting that power exclusively to the state's Attorney General. This would exempt lawmakers from prosecution of nearly any crimes that are normally handled at the local level.
"I am suspicious"
Specifically, the bill proposes:
"The jurisdiction of a prosecution against a principal in the commission of a public offense, when such principal is a state elected official, state legislator, district court judicial officer, appellate judicial officer or an appointee of a state board or state commission at the time of the commission of the offense, is within the sole and exclusive prosecutorial authority of the Attorney General of Oklahoma. Such an action must be filed in the county of residence of the state officer."
Not all state officials are supportive of the measure. And some are distrustful of the bill's intent.
"It's a big deal to me. I'm upset and concerned," Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said, as reported by Counter Current News. "This bill creates a different class of citizens that would be protected from the normal prosecution process."
"I am suspicious... that is what this is really about," Prater added.
Calvey said the purpose of his legislation is to stop "malicious prosecution" of politicians, citing legal action taken against former Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Charges were brought against the potential 2016 GOP presidential contender by an Austin grand jury in August for alleged abuse of power after he publicly threatened to defund a public accountability office when its director refused to resign following a publicized drunk driving arrest and conviction, and being recorded abusing her position in an attempt to get out of trouble.
Calvey said he doesn't believe anything "so outrageous" would happen in Oklahoma. But he added, "who knows who will get elected to those offices in the future? I do think it's just better to prevent that kind of thing from ever arising.
"The point is to not allow a locally elected official to effectively have undue influence over statewide policy," he continued.
Counter Current News reported that the legislation does not spell out specifics about what would be considered a public offense, or what sort of immunity lawmakers would be granted. That has led critics to assume that just about any criminal activity at the local level would be permissible.
U.S. lawmakers are not exempt
"Since Calvey himself acknowledges that the point would be to avoid legislators or politicians from being prosecuted for abuse-of-power, this bill proposes to set forth a very dangerous precedence that could lead to even less accountability for politicians," the website reported.
As further noted by the SHTFPlan.com site, if such legislation passes in Oklahoma, it could spread to other states -- and, likely even, Washington, D.C. -- although the Constitution's Article 1, Sect. 6, Clause 1 reads:
The Senators and Representatives... shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same....
That said, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 1908 case (Williamson v. United States) ruled that the clause does not provide Congress with any immunity from criminal prosecution.
Sources:
http://countercurrentnews.com
http://www.shtfplan.com
http://www.foxnews.com
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