Quit the character slanging, Trump

President Donald Trump and his defenders have spent the past few weeks attacking the process by which an impeachment inquiry has unfolded in the House. They have impugned the integrity of witnesses. They have engaged in publicity stunts, like when several dozen House members stormed the secure hearing room where depositions are heard.

The Trump administration, meanwhile, has defied subpoenas and withheld witnesses, while arguing that the House impeachment inquiry isn’t legitimate without a vote to formally launch one. Now they are going to get that vote. Better late than never, we suppose.

Yet no sooner had Trump said it was time to look at the substance of the impeachment inquiry, than he reverted to petty personal attacks. He called one witness, army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a ‘‘Never Trumper’’ – a term generally applied to Republicans and independent conservatives who oppose him. In as much as Trump has previously called Never Trumpers ‘‘human scum’’, the logical inference is that the president is calling Vindman human scum. That’s pretty harsh for someone who has made military service his career, who is a combat veteran of Iraq and was awarded a Purple Heart after almost being killed by a roadside bombl.

Enough is enough. Stop the character assassinations. Call off the stupid stunts. Face the facts, which provide ample reasons for elevating the impeachment inquiry to the next level.