Impeachment 1.0

Impeachment is all the talk in Washington and the focus of all the talking heads on TV, especially CNN. What is interesting though, all this talk is being done in a virtual vacuum of real information and real analysis. All the official “testimony” has been done behind closed doors with no media present. Sure, there are plenty of “leaks,” but most people know these leaks are unreliable for drawing accurate conclusions. What we do know, are three things: what the constitution says, the whistleblower complaint, and the transcript of the President’s conversation.

First, the Constitution fairly clear on the purpose and process regarding impeachment. The Constitution clearly spells out that the House has “the sole power of impeachment” (Article 1, Section 2, Clause 5). The Constitution also states the Senate “the sole power to try all impeachments” (Article I, Sec 3, Clauses 6-7). Even the grounds for impeachment is spelled out and described as “treason, bribery and other high crimes and misdemeanors” (Article II, Section 4). If a President is impeached by the House and convicted in the Senate, then the prescribed remedy is removal from office.

So what exactly has President Trump done to be impeached? Unfortunately, that is where it becomes difficult to ascertain if you just watch the “news.” Some say President Trump is guilty for his behavior, his tweets and for just being Trump. Others say he is not guilty because he is just doing what a President does. If you cut through the partisan rancor, what are you left with? Since the witness testimony is behind closed doors, what is clear is the actual whistleblower complaint. If you take the time to read the six page whistleblower complaint, you will find that the crux of the complaint is:

"The “President of the United States is abusing the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country into the 2020 U.S. election.”

If true, this is a very serious allegation. It makes former President Nixon’s actions seem minor when he had folks break into the Watergate complex to dig up dirt on his opponents. As part of the complaint, the whistleblower included a redacted copy of a declassified document seeming to detail aid to Ukraine being removed by the President.

Has the President been caught with his proverbial hand in the cookie jar? Perhaps surprising to many, President Trump released the actual transcript of the conversation in question with President Zelenskyy from the Ukraine. We can read the conversation ourselves and determine the actual context for ourselves. As we wait for the “details” to come out regarding the political process of impeachment, we should, remain mindful of and be clear of the following two questions:

• During the phone call, did President Trump solicit the Ukrainian President to directly interfere with our 2020 election?

• Do any of President Trump’s actions amount to “treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors?”

As more information becomes known, it seems we have the core information (whistleblower complaint and conversation transcript) needed to make a reasoned judgment. Unfortunately, it seems most people a predisposed, along partisan lines, to make emotional judgments instead of informed ones. Let us hope that our elected leaders rely on reason instead of emotion, for the sake of our country.