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[quote=Anonymous]Madison Debates
Friday July 20, 1787

https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/debates_720.asp

“Mr. DAVIE. [b]If he be not impeachable whilst in office, he will spare no efforts or means whatever to get himself re-elected[/b]. He considered this as an essential security for the good behaviour of the Executive.”

“Col. MASON. No point is of more importance than that the right of impeachment should be continued. [b]Shall any man be above Justice? Above all shall that man be above it, who can commit the most extensive injustice? When great crimes were committed he was for punishing the principal as well as the Coadjutors.[/b] There had been much debate & difficulty as to the mode of chusing the Executive. He approved of that which had been adopted at first, namely of referring the appointment to the Natl. Legislature. One objection agst. Electors was the danger of their being corrupted by the Candidates; & this furnished a peculiar reason in favor of impeachments whilst in office. [b]Shall the man who has practised corruption & by that means procured his appointment in the first instance, be suffered to escape punishment, by repeating his guilt.[/b]”

“Mr. Govr. MORRIS'S opinion had been changed by the arguments used in the discussion. He was now sensible of the necessity of impeachments, if the Executive was to continue for any [FN12] time in office. Our Executive was not like a Magistrate having a life interest, much less like one having an hereditary interest in his office. He may be bribed by a greater interest to betray his trust; and no one would say that we ought to expose ourselves to the danger of seeing the first Magistrate in forign pay, without being able to guard agst. it by displacing him. One would think the King of England well secured agst. bribery. He has as it were a fee simple in the whole Kingdom. Yet Charles II was bribed by Louis XIV. The Executive ought therefore to be impeachable for treachery; Corrupting his electors, and incapacity were other causes of impeachment. For the latter he should be punished not as a man, but as an officer, and punished only by degradation from his office. [b]This Magistrate is not the King but the prime-Minister. The people are the King. [/b]When we make him amenable to Justice however we should take care to provide some mode that will not make him dependent on the Legislature.”

Many more great thoughts from our framers. Can’t paste them all. 
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