The impeachment train keeps on rolling
Even as Donald Trump continues to stonewall Congress in their impeachment inquiry, the House is staying focused on its plan of action. White House lawyer Pat Cipollone’s ridiculous letter has only fueled Democrats. Representative Peter Welch (D VT) said in an interview with Politico that “the letter isn’t an argument, it’s a diatribe. And it reflects what is a clear decision by the White House—obstruct, deny, stonewall.”
That about describes it. Cipollone laughably claims that Trump won’t participate because he has to “fulfill his duties to the American people, the Constitution, the Executive Branch, and all future occupants of the Office of the Presidency.” Please. Donald Trump wouldn’t know the Constitution if it walked up and bit him in the ass. And since when has he cared about anyone but Donald Trump? He certainly doesn’t care about “future occupants,” since the next one will likely be a Democrat. Again, the question arises: If Trump has done nothing wrong, why not cooperate?
The Democrats want to pursue charges against Trump that will stick. While many are pointing to the obstruction he engages in daily, Politico stresses that obstruction charges can be complicated. Besides, Trump has successfully deflected obstruction charges in the past, and the Democrats are smart enough not to step into the same foxhole twice. Instead, they are conducting an in-depth investigation according to Politico. Val Demings of Florida spells out the plan: “We still have to stay very focused and talk to fact witnesses who just seem to be lining up. We have to continue to do a very methodical, a very thorough and complete investigation.” They have already obtained the testimony of Kurt Volker, former envoy to Ukraine, and they are set to receive testimony from Fiona Hill, also a former official of the Trump administration. These witnesses are not only free of Trump’s influence but seem all too willing to assist, as they should be if they have nothing to hide.
While the Democrats are hard at work gathering evidence that reaches impeachment level, Donald Trump is doing basically nothing, other than insulting the Democrats. Also according to Politico, Trump’s strategy is to treat the impeachment process as “a political argument.” Trump’s bullying tactics have served him well in the past, but he seems to be ignoring the poll numbers supporting his impeachment, which are rising on a daily basis. He’s also ignoring the fact that even a few Republicans are now speaking out against him. Let’s see how this “strategy” works for him on the impeachment question. Jonathan Turley, a George Washington University law professor who has assisted with impeachment cases, believes that Cipollone’s letter undermines Trump’s best legal arguments. Poor Trump. He seems to be a “one trick pony,” and his trick isn’t working for him this time around. Good.
Trump needs to be shown, once and for all, that he is not above the law. He can insult whomever he wants and stonewall as much as he likes, but things are not looking good for him right now. Lloyd Doggett (D TX) told Politico “the House should proceed as soon as possible to impeach this lawless president and wannabe authoritarian.” You can’t say it any better than that.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years