BY GARY EDMONDSON
Candidate Donald Trump colluded with Russian operatives during the campaign – even encouraging them to dig up dirt on his opponent after the weekend collusion meeting at Trump Tower.
President Donald Trump has been in constant violation of the emoluments clause prohibiting officeholders from personally profiting from their positions.
The foaming-at-the-mouth bigotry, sexual predation, embarrassing ignorance and his love affairs with blood-stained dictators are not in play.
That said, it would profit no one except Trump for House Democrats to impeach him.
Mike Lillis of The Hill reported over the weekend that Texas Rep. Al Green, whose impeachment motion was tabled last week, might try to reintroduce the measure and that Rep. Steve Cohen, D-TN, who introduced similar articles last year plans to do so again.
Cohen “introduced five articles of impeachment in 2017, which charged Trump with obstructing justice in firing former FBI Director James Comey; violating the foreign emoluments clause, which bars public officials from receiving gifts from foreign governments without Congress’s consent, and the domestic emoluments clause, which bars the president from profiting from his office; and undermining two of the country’s central institutions – the courts and the press – in ways that threaten the health of the nation’s democracy.”
Lillis said that last week’s reaction to Trump’s racist hatred and lies directed at four duly-elected congresswomen “brought the tally of Democratic impeachment supporters to 87. And that list is likely to grow after [Robert] Mueller testifies before the House Judiciary and Intelligence committees.”
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-NY, told Fox News Sunday that Mueller Report “presents very substantial evidence” that President Donald Trump “is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors.”
Mueller’s report laid out the evidence for collusion [see Editor’s Note below]. But our Justice Department employs the self-serving rule of not indicting a sitting president.
So, since Mueller was barred from filing an indictment, Trump proclaimed himself guilt free.
Similarly, two suits charging Trump with violating the emoluments clause were tossed by courts due to a “lack of standing” by those pursuing justice. There was no ruling on the merits of the cases.
But impeachable as he is, Trump has his partner in Russian collusion, Mitch McConnell, controlling the GOP majority in the Senate. A guilty verdict there would be as likely as Sen. James Inhofe recognizing scientific facts.
Trump would be acquitted by a complicit Senate. He would claim innocence. He and his perpetually resentful privileged supporters would cry “persecution.”
An impeachment trial would become a massive diversion at a time when House Democrats should be promoting sensible solutions to the country’s problems.
The House has real work to do.
Give Americans an alternative to corporate socialism, crony capitalism and vicious, divisive bigotry.
Give Americans some hope for our future. Point out the president’s illegalities and despicable behavior, but leave the former to federal prosecutors once we get him out of office.
But, above all, don’t give an orange-haired clown an impeachment circus.
Editor’s Note: In his opening statement to the House Judiciary Committee today, Mueller addressed the president’s “no collusion” claims.
“ …[T]he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired with the Russian government in its election interference activities. We did not address ‘collusion,’ which is not a legal term. Rather, we focused on whether the evidence was sufficient to charge any member of the campaign with taking part in a criminal conspiracy. It was not.”
In his testimony, Mueller said the president could be indicted, however, after he leaves office.
