Impeachment would be fruitless

To impeach, or not impeach. That is the question – ridiculous as it is, since impeachment proceedings would be political theatre at its worst.

But since Democrats and the media have elevated that prospect to front page news, it’s imperative to set the record straight, especially since the Dems will take control of the House next month.

As a quick primer, impeachment discussions center around payoffs in 2016 to two women with whom Donald Trump allegedly had affairs. The objective was simple: to keep those relationships private; in other words, Mr. Trump understandably did not want romantic dalliances coming to light. Democrats have been making hay because, as they see it, candidate Trump committed campaign finance violations by not declaring those payouts as expenditures. Complicating the issue is that Mr. Trump did not issue the compensation himself; instead, it was done by his longtime confidant and lawyer Michael Cohen, who is now facing prison time for unrelated financial crimes. Cohen was later reimbursed.

The Democrats’ “furor” is founded on the shaky premise that payouts were made to avoid a campaign setback, and thus, influence the election. Maybe that’s true, but a strong case can be made that Mr. Trump’s actions had nothing to do with his campaign, and everything to do with his marriage and personal life.

Whatever the reason, using his own money in a private transaction could well have been rooted in self-interest, and not done to influence the election – which would clearly pass the “would it have occurred irrespective of an election?” test.

If anyone is facing a problem, it is Cohen, because non-candidates are limited to a maximum contribution of $2,700. Further, if Cohen knew that the reimbursements were violations, it was his duty to inform his client and suggest an alternative. Yet he appears not to have done so.

Mr. Cohen made the payments out his own pocket. And both the president and Rudy Giuliani stated that Mr. Trump repaid Cohen with personal funds. If that’s the case, fine.

But if Cohen was repaid by a Trump Organization corporate entity, all bets are off. Business owners are not legally permitted to use corporate funds for personal activities, for a host of reasons. Just as a CEO can’t legally use corporate resources to remodel his house, neither can an executive pay “hush money” from business accounts to keep a personal issue from going public. Should this be the case, the focus would shift from campaign violations to corporate tax evasion.

The financial network of a billionaire is labyrinthine, and accounts that might seem “corporate” may not be. Until the facts are known, and a clear paper trail emerges that details how Michael Cohen was reimbursed, no one should politicize this situation.

Democrats pushing impeachment should learn from history. Bill Clinton’s impeachment was an unmitigated disaster for then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich and the Republicans, despite the impeachment being legitimate, since Mr. Clinton, as the nation’s top law enforcement officer, perjured himself.

Impeachment would consume Washington, yet there would be near-zero chance of removing Mr. Trump. Sure, the House might impeach, though that would be far from certain. But the Senate, where a twothirds vote is required to convict and remove a president, would never do so on this issue. Guaranteed.

Therefore, the only reason Democrats would pursue impeachment (for an alleged crime committed before Mr. Trump was even president) is to politically impugn the commander-in-chief, which they think will help them in 2020. Not only would that be a miscalculation, but the consequences would be profound: the already volatile stock market would plunge; businesses would pull back due to market uncertainties; and country’s divisions would widen exponentially.

Ultimately, the Democrats have no credibility on impeachment. If they had any brains, they would shut up about impeachment and instead advocate ideas they believe would best serve America.

Otherwise, their actions could result in America reelecting an impeached president.