Today is a Sad Day for Our Country and Our Constitution
December 18, 2019 8:18p
Today is a sad day for our country and our Constitution.
Weeks ago, I predicted the House of Representatives would vote AGAINST impeaching President Trump. I believed at least 19 Democrats would put respect for our Constitution above their hatred of Donald Trump. I was wrong. This evening, Donald Trump will be impeached.
Donald Trump has many flaws. But he has done nothing to deserve impeachment. That the bitter partisan Democrats will impeach him is disgraceful.
For what high crimes and misdemeanors will he be impeached? Treason? Nope. Bribery? Nope. Extortion? Nope. Obstruction of justice? Nope. Quid-pro-quo? Nope. Fraud? Nope. Colluding with Russia? Nope. Cheating in the 2016 election? Nope. Democrats have accused him of committing all those offenses. Yet not one of those was included in the Articles of Impeachment. Why not? Because they didn't happen.
Instead, Congress charged President Trump with "Abuse of Power" - a nebulous term that simply means "policy differences" in the real world. Nothing Trump did vis a vis Ukraine or his response to the impeachment process was unlawful or beyond the constitutional authority of his office.
Trump was also charged with "Obstruction of Congress," which is a non-existent crime conjured up by the Democrats. While the crime of "Contempt of Congress" exists, it is not a crime the President committed. The legislative branch is not superior to the executive branch. There is no need for the President to comply with congressional subpoenas unless/until the courts direct him to do so (or judicial precedent has established the obligation). The Supreme Court has never addressed whether White House officials can refuse to testify in a criminal investigation potentially involving the President's conduct. But the Supreme Court just granted a writ of certiorari on this very issue vis a vis the impeachment, so perhaps we'll soon get a precedent to follow in the future.
To impeach the President for defending the executive branch's equality is actually the House Democrats shamefully committing real "abuse of power" and "obstruction of our Constitution." It is disgraceful and dangerous. Their short-term political gain will result in long-term damage to our system of government. But few Democrats care about that. They will score a few points against a man they hate. That they eviscerate our Constitution to do so is immaterial to them. They are motivated by only two things: hate and power.
Democrats will celebrate the impeachment. But it will be a Pyrrhic victory. It is certain that President Trump will remain in office until noon on January 20th. It remains to be seen whether that will be January of 2021 or 2025.