Recently I emailed this reply to Jason Smith, our Southeast MO district Representative in the US House, concerning his website article “The Party of Impeachment”. It concerns the House’s impeachment of Donald John Trump, our 45th President.
Mr. Smith, your assertion that the impeachment of Trump “had no due process and was rife with bias” would be amusing in some circumstances but not these. Mitch McConnell’s announcement of his own partisan bias and his plan for a sham trial in the Senate—with no witnesses called—should be remembered by viewers when they see him swear impartiality before God, at the beginning of those proceedings. Also, it will be interesting to see whether Senate Republicans will overrule Chief Justice John Roberts when he rules that witnesses can be called on both sides.
You forgot to mention that the Democrat who switched his party affiliation represents a red district in his state and is likely afraid of not being reelected. Expediency is probably the motivator here. On the other hand, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski’s call for a fair trial in the wake of McConnell’s unhesitant announcement of close coordination with the White House is a good start toward achieving justice. This illustrates an individual truly concerned about our national security and the integrity of our 2020 elections.
Frankly, Mr. Smith, shouldn’t you yourself be more concerned about “the sanctity of our government and the stability of our republic”? The cult of personality that is the Trump Phenomenon, and to which Republicans so readily subscribed, is now the greatest danger to our nation and its principles since the Civil War, and clinging to that bandwagon as it goes over the cliff is nothing short of madness. Vladimir Putin’s openly expressed, decades-long goal of using democracy to subvert democracy itself is coming to fruition, largely because the GOP hitched itself to such a dubious star instead of acting in the security interests of this nation. What will Republicans say when Russia’s bold moves extend beyond Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Africa, and Central and South America? Impeachment of a President is indeed profoundly serious, warranted only by this most dire of threats.
Nancy Pelosi is holding up the submission of the impeachment articles for two simple reasons. First, evidence of Trump’s brazen misdeeds is coming in daily, almost hourly. Second, she has a Constitutional duty to promote a fair Senate trial, with witnesses called and evidence presented on both sides—not the farce announced by McConnell in such unabashed words.
President Trump himself has undermined the rule of law and the Constitution by consistently placing his own bloated ego and personal interests above the welfare of this already great nation. What will you say, Mr. Smith, when construction begins on Trump Towers in Moscow and Islamabad? Quid Pro Quo?
These are the milestones in our nation’s history that distinguish the statesperson, who truly puts the public welfare above his or her own, from the politician, whose actions are frequently driven by self-interest and expediency, often at the expense of those he represents. You will find another job, Mr. Smith. Why not do the right thing and call for a real trial in the Senate—complete with documentary and testimonial evidence on both sides? I’d call for subpoenas to Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, Adam Schiff, Mike Pompeo, John Bolton, Rudy Giuliani, Don McGahn, Mick Mulvaney, and William Barr as a start. Though many, perhaps most, of your constituents may not agree, you will have the inner satisfaction of knowing that you acted as a statesman rather than a mere politician.
We the voters saw and heard with our own eyes and ears our President inviting foreign adversaries, Russia and China, to meddle in our national elections. Though many Trump supporters will argue that he was simply being facetious or ironic, his corollary statement that Putin told him it was Ukraine that interfered is quite revealing. Either Mr. Trump is the most naive President in American history, or the most disingenuous. I’d wager on the latter because of his 14000+ documented public falsehoods fact-checked by reputable sources. Only those who deny all the evidence of the senses can continue to argue there was not enough evidence for impeachment.
I’ll leave you with a famous quote from a historical paragon of honesty and statesmanship. It could not be more pertinent to these times:
“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.”
(Abraham Lincoln)
Sam J Duckworth
duckworthsam 