We have reached a critical crossroads for our country. In my view, we cheated ourselves by not starting impeachment proceedings sooner. We could have stopped, deterred, or at least exposed the alleged abuse of power coming to light now.
The point of impeachment proceedings is to assess with great urgency whether a public official who has abused their power should be removed from office.
From the startling accusations in the whistleblower complaint, to the corroboration by the White House itself, to the public statements of agents of the president, it is clear this urgent moment is upon us. I am encouraged to see Speaker Pelosi moving with haste to protect our democracy and defend our Constitution by launching impeachment proceedings, something I’ve argued for since June.
Furthermore, it seems clear by the accusations in the whistleblower complaint that Attorney General William Barr is, at least, a witness in the investigation of whether the president abused his power and/or broke the law in his interactions with Ukrainian President Zelensky. Accordingly, pursuant to the ethical dictates of the Department of Justice and the concern for the appearance of impropriety, Attorney General William Barr must immediately recuse himself from all matters pertaining to this investigation.
The point of impeachment is not to affect the last election or the next. It is to preserve the sanctity of the highest elected office in the land. Leadership is not for the faint of heart. You have to be willing to advocate for what’s just and right even when it may not be popular or politically expedient.
It’s amazing what a little leadership can do. What we have seen is that public sentiment will follow strong leadership. The polls are rapidly changing.
If you lead first, electability will follow.
Teresa Tomlinson was the first female, twice-elected mayor of Columbus, now running for U.S. Senate in Georgia. During her time as mayor of Columbus Teresa grew the economy and lowered unemployment, she turned around struggling neighborhoods and lowered crime by more than 40%, and she reduced homelessness and improved the quality of life for all our residents - all while saving taxpayers tens of millions of dollars. By the completion of her second term, Columbus was named one of the “25 Best Run Cities in America.