SDSU offering course on removing President Trump from office

SAN DIEGO (KUSI) — A San Diego State University course titled “Trump: Impeachment, Removal or Conviction?” has caught the attention of national conservative media outlets, but SDSU officials said the class isn’t actually focused on getting President Donald Trump out of office.

The weekend-long, one-credit class will be offered in March as part of the criminal justice program in the university’s College of Extended Studies.

San Diego State University’s course description reads:

“Focus will be on the two constitutional grounds: impeachment and removal (25th Amendment), and the possible charges of the independent counsel, the powers of the president, a history of the creation of that office and the comparison of divine right and rule of law leadership, presidential impeachments, including Nixon’s de facto impeachment, practically limitless grounds for impeachment, presidential immunity from indictment, and grounds for impeachment, removal, or indictment covering: conflict of interests, foreign emoluments, climate change, racism, religious bias, improper influence, nepotism, and a host of crimes, including conspiracy, false statements, and obstruction of justice.”

A story about the class first appeared on Campus Reform, a website that aims to “expose liberal bias on America’s campuses.” The article states the course is “dedicated exclusively to the topic of removing Donald Trump from office.”

But university officials disputed that claim.

“The course presents an overall framework of impeachment, removal or criminal investigation of a president and rather than focusing on President Trump, reviews all 19 impeachments in U.S. history,” according to the university.

The spokeswoman stressed that the College of Extended Studies is a self-supported entity and the course is not funded through taxpayer dollars.

One of the co-authors of the Campus Reform story questioned the veracity of the university’s statement.

Brandon Jones, who is also president of the SDSU College Republicans, pointed to the course’s required reading as proof of its anti-Trump agenda.

The lone assigned book, Allan Lichtman’s “The Case for Impeachment,” was written following Trump’s election and attempts to “lay out the reasons Congress could remove Trump from the Oval Office: his ties to Russia before and after the election, the complicated financial conflicts of interest at home and abroad, and his abuse of executive authority,” the back cover reads.

“The bottom line is they’re offering a course with a clear agenda,” Jones said. “As far as not being funded by the taxpayers I’m not going to take their word for it.”

Class instructor John Joseph Cleary could not be reached for comment.

Representatives from SDSU issued the following response:

On behalf of Joe Johnson, interim dean of the College of Extended Studies and Joyce Gattas, dean of the College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts,we would like to acknowledge those who have been offended by a course offered through the College of Extended Studies, an entity of San Diego State University. In retrospect, we realize the title of the course, “Trump: Impeachment, Removal, or Conviction?” is inconsistent with the course content described.  As a result, the title will be amended to accurately reflect this course offered now and for future offerings of this course.

The course presents an overall framework of impeachment, removal, or criminal investigation of a president and rather than focusing on President Trump, reviews all 19 impeachments in U.S. history.  The one-unit, weekend class is not a requirement for graduation and is not paid for by state funds.

SDSU’s College of Extended Studies operates as a self-support entity and as such, does not receive any taxpayer funds. To reiterate, this course, or any other Extended Studies course is not state funded.

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