Does the rule of law still exist in America — or are some people, by virtue of their political position or connections, above the law? That is the question now facing our country. It is a question that will determine the very survival of our nation as a democratic republic.
We know where Donald Trump stands. He believes it’s okay for the President of the United States to obstruct investigations by the FBI into foreign interference in our elections, as revealed in the Mueller Report. He believes that people who work for him don’t have to comply with Congressional subpoenas, which have never before been considered optional. Bizarrely, he has also accused FBI agents of “treason” simply for doing their job to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election, because the Russians were working to help Trump get elected and he publicly encouraged them to do so during the campaign.
We know where Robert Mueller stands. Today, he said that the U.S. Constitution “requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing” — i.e. impeachment by the House of Representatives — and he explained that this is why he did not charge Donald Trump with the crime of obstruction of justice. Not because Trump was innocent, but because it’s the House’s job to bring charges.
Today, in response to Mueller’s statement — which was practically begging the House to impeach President Trump — seven presidential candidates took a stand and called for impeachment proceedings to begin.
Even a conservative Republican Congressman, Rep. Justin Amash, has taken a principled and courageous stand that Congress must stand up for the rule of law and impeach the president from his own party. He received a standing ovation at his first town hall after calling for impeachment.
But where does Nancy Pelosi stand? Rep. Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, is the politician in whose hands is the power to begin impeachment hearings into President Trump’s contempt for the rule of law. So far, she has refused to take a stand on this incredibly important issue. Instead, she continues to dodge the question of whether Trump should be impeached, always finding excuses for inaction.
But when the very essence of the American system of government and the integrity of our legal system are at stake, silence and inaction are unacceptable.
It is time for Speaker Pelosi to speak clearly on this issue, taking a stand to protect the values we cherish as a people. It is time for her to act like a leader, and accept her responsibility — indeed the duty of her office — by making the case to the American people that Donald Trump has committed impeachable offenses that are unacceptable to a free people, and acting to defend our country from a president who acts increasingly like a tyrant.
The purpose of impeachment is to lay down a marker about what we the people believe to be unacceptable conduct by a president — conduct which violates basic ethical principles, the separation of powers under the Constitution, or the laws of the land. In light of President Trump’s numerous violations of laws and norms, our nation must have this debate. And the debate must be recorded for posterity, in the somber manner that it demands: the formal and historically weighty process of an impeachment inquiry.
Anything less does not do justice to the seriousness of the issue before us. Regardless of whether an impeachment “wins” or “loses” in either the House or the Senate, the process must begin — because the facts show that it is is the right thing to do.
Speaker Pelosi, it is time to do the right thing, political considerations be damned. Be a leader. Take courage. Sure, you may prefer to focus on passing bills on normal political issues, but these are not normal times. Any bill you pass will be killed in the Senate anyway — just as an impeachment would likely fail there too — but that is irrelevant. Take a stand on the biggest issue of our time. That issue is whether the rule of law will be upheld and reaffirmed in our country today, or whether America will become yet another country with an authoritarian president who violates the law at will. No other issue is as important as this!
Speaker Pelosi, do you want to be remembered in the history books as the Speaker who failed even to seriously attempt to hold a lawless president accountable for his misdeeds? Or do you want to be remembered for doing your duty to your country during a difficult time?
The choice is yours. Choose wisely — and remember that we the people are watching, and expecting the accountability you promised us in the 2018 election. Most Americans, when the evidence is laid before them, will stand for the rule of law over a president who acts like a wannabe dictator. That’s a big part of the reason the Democrats won a House majority last year. Anyone who wishes to lead the people’s Congress would be wise to remember it.