R.A Brock
Staff Writer/Copy Editor
In light of recent events, President Trump may or may not have laid the last straw that would break the camel’s back. Last week, a whistleblower complaint surfaced from a currently unnamed CIA officer in regard to a phone call made between the U.S President and Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, on July 25, 2019.
During the call, Trump had asked Ukraine’s president to initiate or continue an investigation into Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. Along with this, he wanted knowledge into any 2016 Russian U.S. election interference capabilities that originated in Ukraine.
President Trump also seemingly tried to use taxpayer money in the form of military aid for Ukraine as a bargaining chip to be able to obtain information about the Bidens. This military aid in question is valued at $400 million and is desperately needed for Ukraine’s war effort against Russia. This being said, there is not an explicit link between the unfreezing of military aid and President Trump’s apparent desire to get dirt on his political opponents.
The whistleblower report is troubling enough for democrats in the House of Representative, led by Nancy Pelosi, to launch a formal impeachment inquiry again the President. She states, “The actions taken to date by the president have seriously violated the Constitution, and Mr. Trump must be held accountable — no one is above the law.”
While there is an active attempt at the impeachment of the president, there are many places during the process where it could fail. To impeach the president, the president needs to be found guilty of treason, bribery or “high crimes and misdemeanors.”
The inquiry starts in the House of Representatives, where a simple majority vote is required to send the inquiry to the Senate. In the Senate, a trial is produced where each side can call witnesses and then a two-thirds majority vote by Senators is made. If the president is convicted, he will be instantly ousted from high office.
My prediction is that the inquiry will go to the Senate, where it will die. The Republican Party controls the Senate with Vice President Mike Pence being the tie-breaking vote. There are many Republicans that no longer support Trump, but that number is not high enough to warrant a successful impeachment proceeding.
Besides this proceeding, President Trump is seeking re-election in 2020. The thought behind his impeachment now would be that if he were to be impeached, he would not likely be running for office anymore. This means the Republican Party would not have a strong candidate to represent them in 2020, making it more likely for a Democrat to secure the White House.
The likelihood of impeachment happening is very slim but the chance for President Trump to secure the 2020 election is very possible right now. Many people do not realize that as soon as Trump won 2016, Conservative think tanks were already thinking “How can we secure 2020?”
Trump, over the last three years, has held rallies across the U.S., as if he never stopped campaigning. That is a powerful weapon he has.
Think about how much earlier candidates have been campaigning for high office compared to other years. We knew about many possible candidates around Christmas of 2018, with official candidacy announcements coming out just after that.
The Democratic Party is weakened currently due to the divide between voters and candidates. While Trump continues to maintain support, Democratic candidates are bickering over who has the best healthcare plan and school plans with a focus on immigration and foreign policy. We should be coming together to decide the best candidate rather than being obsessed with the status and power that comes with being president.
I know one thing: President Trump has caused more discord in our country than ever. Think about the amount of environmental deregulation and internment of migrants. The White House drama and turnover rate is almost like he is running the government as an episode of “The Apprentice.” We do not have to settle for mediocrity in our presidency.
We should be safe and assured that the person in the office is competent and reliable for the American people. Our vote counts for something still.
Categories: Opinions
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