Impeachment Coup:
Countdown to Civil War?
6 December, 2019
Speaker
Nancy Pelosi announced Thursday that the Democrat-controlled House of
Representatives will proceed with articles of impeachment against
President Donald Trump.
Speaking
from the same spot she launched the impeachment probe two and a half
months earlier, she said:
“Let
us begin where our founders began in 1776. When in the course of
human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the
political bonds which have connected them with another. With those
words, our founders courageously began our Declaration of
Independence from an oppressive monarch, for among other grievances
the king’s refusal to follow rightfully passed laws.
“In
the course of today’s events, it becomes necessary for us to
address, among other grievances, the president’s failure to
faithfully execute the law. When crafting the Constitution, the
founders feared the return of a monarchy in America. And having just
fought a war of independence, they specifically feared the prospect
of a king-president corrupted by foreign influence.
“During
the constitutional convention, James Madison, the architect of the
Constitution, warned that a president might betray his trust to
foreign powers which might prove fatal to the republic. Another
founder, Gouverneur Morris, that a president may be bribed by a
greater interest to betray his trust. He emphasized that this
magistrate is not the king. The people are the king.
“They,
therefore, created a constitutional remedy to protect against a
dangerous or corrupt leader: impeachment. Unless the Constitution
contained an impeachment provision, one founder warned, a president
might ‘spare no effort or means whatsoever’ to get himself
re-elected. Similarly, George Mason insisted that a president who
procured his appointment in his first instance through improper and
corrupt acts might repeat his guilt and return to power.
During
the debate over impeachment at the constitutional convention, George
Mason also asked, shall any man be above justice? Shall that man be
above it who can commit the most extensive injustice?
“In
his great wisdom, he knew that injustice committed by the president
erodes the rule of law, the very idea that a fair justice, which is
the bedrock of our democracy. And if we allow a president to be above
the law, we do so surely at the peril of our republic. In America, no
one is above the law.
“Over
the past few weeks, through the Intelligence Committee working with
the Foreign Affairs and Oversight Committees, the American people
have heard the testimony of truly patriotic career public servants,
distinguished diplomats and decorated war heroes — some of the
president’s own appointees.
“The
facts are uncontested. The president abused his power for his own
personal political benefit at the expense of our national security,
by withholding military aid and crucial Oval Office meeting in
exchange for an announcement of an investigation into his political
rival.
“Yesterday,
the Judiciary Committee, at the Judiciary Committee, the American
people heard testimony from leading American constitutional scholars
who illuminated without a doubt that the president’s actions are a
profound violation of the public trust. The president’s actions
have seriously violated the constitution, especially when he says and
acts upon the belief ‘Article 2 says I can do whatever I want.’
No. His wrongdoing strikes at the very heart of our constitution. “A
separation of powers, three co-equal branches, each a check and
balance on the other. A republic, if we can keep it, said Benjamin
Franklin.
“Our
democracy is what is at stake. The president leaves us no choice but
to act because he is trying to corrupt, once again, the election for
his own benefit. The president has engaged in abuse of power
undermining our national security and jeopardizing the integrity of
our elections. His actions are in defiance of the vision of our
founders and the oath of office that he takes to preserve, protect
and defend the Constitution of the United States.
“Sadly,
but with confidence and humility, with allegiance to our founders and
a heart full of love for America, today I am asking our chairmen to
proceed with articles of impeachment. I commend our committee chairs
and our members for their somber approach to actions which I wish the
president had not made necessary.
“In
signing the Declaration of Independence, our founders invoked a firm
reliance on divine providence. Democrats, too, are prayerful, and we
will proceed in a manner worthy of our oath of office to support and
defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies,
foreign and domestic, so help us God.”
But
it was what happened after her announcement that got everyone
talking—even the president. As she was preparing to leave the
stage, James Rosen of Sinclair Broadcast Group asked her pointedly:
“Do
you hate the president, Madam Speaker?”
Pelosi
instantly drew up in a range and began venting. Here is a transcript
of the exchange:
PELOSI
— I don’t hate anybody.
ROSEN
— The reason I ask —
PELOSI
— We don’t hate anybody. Not anybody in the world. Don’t accuse
me—
ROSEN
— I did not accuse you.
PELOSI
— You did. You did.
ROSEN
— I asked you a question. Representative Collins yesterday
suggested that the Democrats are doing this simply because you don’t
like the guy. I think it’s an important question.
PELOSI
— Let me just say this. I think this president is a coward when it
comes to helping our kids who are afraid of gun violence. I think he
is cruel when he doesn’t deal with helping our DREAMers of which we
are very proud. I think he is in denial about the climate crisis.
However, that is about the election. This is about the — take it up
in the election. This is about the Constitution of the United States
and the facts that lead to the President’s violation of his oath of
office. And as a Catholic, I resent your using the word ‘hate’ in
a sentence that addresses me. I don’t hate anyone. I was raised in
a way that is a heart full of love and always pray for the President.
And I still pray for the President. I pray for the President all the
time. So don’t mess with me when it comes to words like that.
Most
of the reaction of Pelosi’s meltdown were negative. President Trump
was among them:
“Nancy
Pelosi just had a nervous fit. She hates that we will soon have 182
great new judges and sooo much more. Stock Market and employment
records. She says she “prays for the President.” I don’t
believe her, not even close. Help the homeless in your district
Nancy. USMCA?”
Pelosi
did not say when the vote on articles of impeachment will occur. It’s
widely been speculated that it could happen as early as next week.
Democrats are still debating over whether or not they should include
an article on obstruction of justice based on the Mueller Report that
was released in April.
In
the meantime, Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) hasn’t wavered in his support
for impeachment. In July, he tried to force the House to vote on his
own articles of impeachment. In an interview with C-SPAN prior to
Pelosi’s announcement, he said If the current effort to remove the
president from office fails, Democrats can keep coming back—over
and over again:
“[A]
president can be impeached more than once. So we can do this. We can
move forward with what we have on the table currently, we can take
this before the Senate and we can still investigate other issues and
when the president has committed additional offenses, and my
suspicion is that he will, we can take those before the Senate. There
is no limit on the number of times the Senate can vote to convict or
not a president. No limit to the number of times a House can vote to
impeach or not a president.”
Senate
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell says Republicans have refused to join
the coup, which is only hurting the country:
“Well,
for weeks now, Republicans have been asking Democrats to take off
their impeachment blinders and let Congress legislate for the
American people. We’ve argued that American families deserve better
than this partisan paralysis where Democrats literally obsess over
impeachment and obstruct everything else. This very morning, for
example, the speaker gave a speech on national television to push
forward her rushed and partisan impeachment. Not one word, not one
word on the outstanding legislation the American people actually
need, nothing on USMCA or the NDAA or funding for our armed forces.
It’s all impeachment all the time.
“Only
in this town, madam president, only in Washington does anybody think
it’s okay for our armed forces to go unfunded and a major trade
deal to go unpassed, because Democrats are too busy hosting a panel
of law professors, hosting a panel of law professors to criticize
President Trump on television instead of the things the American
people actually need us to address. Now, the Kentuckians I represent
cannot believe our military commanders are being denied certainty,
our men and women in uniform are being denied stable funding, and
176,000 new American jobs are being held up, all because Democratic
leadership thinks there is more political advantage in obstruction
than in doing their job.”
Reports
indicate McConnell has decided to rival the Democrats’
scorched-earth approach with one of his own. He’s blocked out the
entire month of January for an impeachment trial. Currently, five of
the remaining 2020 Democrat presidential candidates are
senators—including front-runners Elizabeth Warren and Bernie
Sanders.
The
Iowa Caucus, which starts the nominating process, will be held Feb.
3. That means January is a crucial time for winning over the last
undecided voters—particularly important in a large
field and when the Democrat caucus’ arcane rules emphasize having
second and third choices.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.