Paulo ,
This month, we reached a critical
milestone: over half of the Democrats in the House now support opening an
impeachment inquiry.
I think you know I agree, but do you know why?
Trust me, I’ve heard the partisan
talking points when it comes to impeaching Trump. Will it help Trump win in
2020?
Will it hurt Democrats’ chances of
taking back the Senate and holding their majority in the House?
Would a trial
even be worth it in a Republican-controlled Senate?
But we’re asking the wrong questions.
We need to ignore the distractions and ask ourselves: is the Constitution of the
United States important enough to us to uphold?
Does the rule of law matter to us as a nation? Should we do everything in our
power to protect our democracy?
I think those questions are pretty
easy to answer, Paulo.
Congress must open an impeachment inquiry against
Trump — even if it goes nowhere, even if it’s unpopular, even if it’s
politically risky — because it’s about upholding our Constitution.
Every child in America is supposed to
learn about the Constitution’s basic
principles of separation of powers and
checks and balances.
But
Trump is throwing those Democratic norms out the window.
By doing whatever he could to stop an
investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, Trump told
America it’s OK for a president to obstruct justice.
Goodbye, law.
By outright refusing to release his tax
returns to Congress, Trump ignores their constitutional authority to hold him
accountable.
Every child in America is supposed to
learn about the Constitution’s basic
principles of separation of powers
and checks and balances. But Trump is throwing those Democratic norms out
the window.
By doing whatever he could to stop an
investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, Trump told
America it’s OK for a president to obstruct justice.
Goodbye, law.
By outright refusing to release his
tax returns to Congress, Trump ignores their constitutional authority to hold
him accountable.
The Framers
anticipated the possibility of a Donald Trump and made sure that Congress would
have a way to limit the rule of an unhinged, undemocratic, and lawless
president.
Article I, Section 2 gives
the House of Representatives the “sole Power of Impeachment.”
Article I, Section 3 gives the Senate the “sole Power to try all Impeachments.”
It’s clear
that Trump has abused his power and violated the Oval Office.
Under these
circumstances, the Constitution mandates that the House undertake an impeachment
inquiry and present evidence to the Senate.
Thanks for fighting for our country.
Robert Reich
|
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Message from Robert Reich - DEMOCRACY FOR AMERICA - 2020
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