The House of Representatives had no choice but to impeach Donald Trump for his brazen attempt to use U.S. governmental resources – the aid package Congress approved for Ukraine – to coerce a foreign government, Ukraine, into a faux investigation of the son of a potential presidential challenger in order to provide him ammunition, phony though it would be, for his personal political gain.
It is the duty of House member to do this in order to uphold their oaths of office to protect this country and its Constitution regardless of the chances for conviction in the Republican-controlled Senate.
Whether GOP Senators fear a primary challenger backed by Trump and his racist base or are co-conspirators in his disdain for our republic is irrelevant. They, too, need to be put on record – alongside our Fourth District’s own Tom Cole – as countenancing more foreign interference in American elections.
Trump’s continued obstruction of justice into the legitimate investigation of executive actions by an equal branch of government requires impeachment as well. Our government is constituted, literally, to provide checks and balances.
I was disappointed that the House did not pursue the flagrant violations of the very real — not fake at all – emoluments clauses, whereby Trump continues to funnel U.S. tax dollars into his own pockets and bases foreign policy decisions upon who spends the most at his properties and where those properties are located. Not addressing this issue gives Trump a green light to continue to enrich himself at our expense and sends a similar message to all who will follow him.
Furthermore, it is harder to twist black and white dollar amount ledger entries into loud lies than with words, as convincing as those truths might be. Of course, Trump appears to have done that, too, when valuing his properties for either tax or loan purposes.
(Gary Edmondson is chair of the Stephens County Democratic Party: scdpok.us or facebook.com/SCDPOK/.)