If the House of Representatives did not impeach Trump for inciting a riotous mob comprised of known hate groups to physically attack the Capitol, they would be derelict in their duty to defend the Constitution. To not impeach Trump for his behaviors on January 6th would be to say that a president is above the law. Article 14, Section 3 states no elected official can “engage in a rebellion or insurrection against the United States or give aid or comfort to the enemies there.” Before the violent attack on the Capitol, Trump appeared at a rally telling the rioters, (many of whom were clad in white supremacist and anti- Semitic regalia) to “go to the Capitol and take your country back.” His command referred to the lie that he and the majority of Republicans in Congress have been spreading which proclaims the election was stolen from him. If a president lying about a fair election being fraudulent isn’t impeachable then what is an impeachable offense?
The hypocrisy shown by elected Republicans in Congress is destroying any shred of credibility the party once had. The opposition to the House’s impeachment article against Trump for ” Incitement of Insurrection” exposes how degraded and corrupt the Republican party has become. In 1998, President Clinton was impeached for lying to a grand jury about having sex with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. Republicans went crazy, proclaiming Clinton did not deserve to remain in office. Clinton’s behavior was tawdry, un-presidential, and involved perjury. However, compared to Trump’s countless assaults on the Constitution, Clinton’s lie about oral sex now seems trivial.
A movement has rightfully begun to target the Republican House Representatives and Senators who in the name of political opportunism are promoting disinformation about the election results. Some of these traitors to democracy proclaim Trump won the election. Their public false pronouncement about the election rigged and stolen also makes them complicit in inciting the insurgency. When elected officials become corrupt and govern in falsehoods that are anti-democratic, shouldn’t that disqualify them to continue to hold office? Respect for the will of the people’s vote should not be held as so sacred that it allows for incompetent, corrupt, violations of the Constitution to be perpetrated by elected officials. The Republican party has proven fealty to Donald Trump and not to the Constitution which means the survival of democracy is in danger.
Trump’s ” Stop the Steal” slogan has created an anti-democracy movement led by violent insurgents who on January 6th, were storming through the Capitol looking to physically harm Nancy Pelosi, Mike Pence, and other Republicans who voted to certify Biden’s electoral college win. Democrats undoubtedly will include evidence in their prosecution that proves Trump intended for his mob followers to block the certification of the election. Trump and his congressional enablers know he lost. Approximately 85 cases that Trump brought to the courts to contest the election results were thrown out by judges, citing there was no significant evidence presented in his lawsuits. The conclusion by the courts, which included a ruling by the Supreme Court, and the opinion of former Attorney General William Barr was that the presidential election was fairly executed. Barr finally lost his job because he refused to tell a lie that would violate the Constitution.
From the day Trump lost the election, he began an assault on our democracy by attempting to engage governors and elected officials in a process to overturn the legal votes of millions of Americans and illegally declare him the winner in multiple swing states. Republicans who want to regain the integrity of their party, uphold their oath of office, and avoid prosecution themselves must unite and convict Trump of what the entire world saw him do on January 6th, 2020. If Trump is acquitted, the Republican party will continue to be degraded and monopolized by the corrupt, anti-American former president Trump. To acquit him sends the message to other world democracies that the United States is no longer the moral leader of global democracies. If this horrible outcome occurs, the only benefit will be to strengthen the Democrats standing in the eyes of the majority of the electorate.
