Anger toward legislators
Re: “Acquitted,” Feb. 5 news story
No obstruction, no collusion, acquittal. After the Mueller report, I hoped that Democrats would bury the hatchet and start working with the Trump administration to move legislation forward on issues where the potential for compromise seems promising (Dreamers, paid family leave, etc.). Instead, Democrats launched a partisan investigation that resulted in a partisan impeachment. Even though the Democrats knew the president would be acquitted, they impeached him anyway. Thank you, Democrats! You deserve a lot of credit for helping Donald Trump become the Republican nominee in 2016, and your determination to deny the American people the opportunity to vote for Trump this November helps ensure that he receives the second term you deserve.
Brent Bickel, Broomfield ●●●
The Republicans have done to the Constitution what they did to Roe vs. Wade, civil rights, separation of church and state, checks and balances and countless other American institutions, not by outright overturning any one thing in most cases, but by slowly chipping away at the freedoms that make this country unique. With the decision to block witnesses for the first time in American history in an impeachment trial and this acquittal, no president will ever be held to account for anything. You have sent a message to the American people and future administrations on both sides of the aisle that there is no crime too “high” nor any misdemeanor too egregious to ever pass the bar for removal, so long as they can cite that their actions are “good for the country.”
It was a cold day in most of America — 2020, Feb. 5 — when not a foreign power, not a war, not an act of God or terror destroyed America, but America itself.
With that, I sincerely hope Cory Gardner enjoyed his term as a senator, because I will do everything in my power to ensure it is his last. History will not remember him kindly.
Justin Bean, Boulder ●●●
The Russians have nothing on the Democrats when it comes to election interference. Their latest failed impeachment coup attempt is evidence of a party that has put all its time and effort into reversing a legitimate election. By any measurement, the first three years of the Trump administration have produced more economic, foreign policy and national security successes than eight years of the globe-trotting, do-nothing Obama administration, yet they are still too arrogant and petulant to get over their loss and legislate for the American people as they were elected to do.
Steve Zlogar, Westminster ●●●
With the Senate refusal to call eyewitnesses in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump and the vote to acquit him of the impeachment offenses, the national Republican Party is now officially the party of corruption. They do not believe in democracy and the rule of law; rather, they believe only in control. As Coloradans, we can do nothing about Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, but we can act when it comes to Sen. Cory Gardner. Gardner has demonstrated that he does not represent the values of Colorado, where we respect democracy and the rule of law. I call on Gardner to resign and save the voters of this state the trouble of removing him in November. May God have mercy on our souls.
Dallas Cox, Lakewood ●●●
I love the spin that GOP senators such as Cory Garner are giving for their reason to vote against hearing witnesses in President Trump’s impeachment trial and ultimately to acquit him. Gardner repeated it Wednesday on KDVR-Fox. “Well, we had 17 witnesses; I didn’t think we needed an 18th witness.” No, Sen. Gardner, you didn’t. You voted against that, remember? That would be like a juror saying in a criminal trial, “Why do we need to hear from witnesses? The police already heard from 17 of them and took tons of depositions.” Sen. Gardner, I think the CU law school might want its diploma back. But keep spinning the story. It might just work.
Mark R. Bevis, Denver ●●●
I wonder if those cheering House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s histrionic display after President Trump’s State of the Union speech see the irony: In tearing up his speech after he delivered it, Pelosi is stooping to the same lack of civility Trump has shown throughout his term. How about rising above it?
Mary Lemma, Parker
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