CONGRESSIONAL DEMOCRATS ADVANCE ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT AGAINST TRUMP
by Dan Kovats, IDCCA Executive Director
@ILDCCA @dankovats
As expected, House Democrats unveiled two articles of impeachment this week against Donald Trump. A thorough and exhaustive investigation by the House Intelligence Committee determined that Trump abused his powers of the Presidency where he “solicited the interference of a foreign government, Ukraine, in the 2020 United States Presidential election.” And, he has obstructed congress through a variety of means, including “the unprecedented, categorical, and indiscriminate defiance of subpoenas issues by the House of Representatives.”
What it all means is yet to be known. There remains a strong likelihood that Congress will take action to make Trump the third president impeached in US History. If the law and the facts are to be considered, he’d be the most deserving of the sentence.
Removing Trump from office, however, requires the US Senate’s “conviction.” Based on the partisan makeup, with Republicans in control, this will be a far more challenging hurdle.
Though the Impeachment Articles advanced in Congress details some of the actions related to the latest investigation, it is important to reflect on the vast number of impeachable offenses that Donald Trump and his remarkably corrupt administration have engaged in.
Need to Impeach is a good resource clearly detailing the most egregious offenses of the President. Here are a few…
1) Obstructing Justice
Remember Trump’s attempt to get former FBI Director James Comey to drop an investigation into National Security Advisor Michael Flynn? Comey was the responsible for overseeing the investigation into Trump’s relationship with Russia during the 2016 election. Comey refused; Trump fired him.
2) Profiting from the Presidency
The Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause prohibits the president from accepting personal benefits from any foreign government or official. Yet Trump has retained his ownership interests in his family business while he is in office. And, thus, every time a foreign official stay at a Trump hotel, or a foreign government approves a new Trump Organization project, or grants a trademark, Trump is in violation of the Constitution.
And every time he goes to golf at a Trump property, he funnels taxpayer money into his family business—violating the Domestic Emoluments Clause.
To date, Trump has spent over $100 million taxpayer dollars to golf and vacation at his own properties.
3) Soliciting Foreign Interference in US Elections
Federal law prohibits campaigns from soliciting or accepting anything of value from a foreign national. It is the law. But to Trump it appears only to be a suggestion.
Remember in 2016 when Trump publicly called on Russia to find Hillary Clinton’s “missing” emails on July 27, 2016. Five hours later, Russian hackers attacked Clinton’s personal office for the first time.
Add that to when Trump’s son was invited to meet with a Russian national regarding “information that would incriminate Hillary and…would be very useful to” Donald Trump. Donald Trump Jr. was told it was “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.” Trump Jr., Jared Kushner, and Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort took the meeting.
Paul Manafort and Rick Gates met with Konstantin Kilimnik, likely a Russian spy, multiple times in the summer of 2016 to provide him with internal campaign polling data detailing the Trump campaign’s Midwestern strategy.
Today, Congress is advancing Impeachment on the clear evidence that Trump used U.S. military aid to pressure Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 elections. He illegally withheld $400 million dollars of military aid to Ukraine and in a call with the President of Ukraine, asked them to “do us a favor” by investigating Joe Biden’s family. Not to mention that he and Republicans are perpetuating a conspiracy theory (pushed by Russian intelligence) alleging Ukraine – not Russian – hacked the DNC’s computer servers.
There’s more and www.NeedToImpeach.org is a good reference page. You’ll also want to stop by store.ildcca.org/impeach-now to pick up your “Impeach Now” bumper sticker and button.
