Pelosi once again plays politics with impeachment
House 6peaker Nancy Pe losi is, once again, playing politics with impeachment. On CB6 News’ 0 Min utes” on 6unday, she warned that President Donald Trump has to be re moved because he poses an imminent threat to the coun try. :e have a de ranged, unhinged, dangerous president of the United 6tates, and we’re only a number of days until we can be protect ed from him,” said Pelosi, D Calif.
:ell, if Trump is that dan gerous, why didn’t she call the House back immediately to pass articles of impeach ment, and then challenge the 6enate to come back into session and hold a trial this week Instead, she is wait ing until :ednesday – – a full week after the Capitol riot – – to hold a House vote. House MaMority :hip -ames Clyburn, D 6.C., suggest ed this weekend that Pelosi could wait until well into the Biden presidency before sending impeachment ar ticles to the 6enate. Let’s give President elect -oe Biden the 100 days he needs to get his agenda off and run ning,” Clyburn said. And maybe we will send the arti cles sometime after that.”
Pelosi is politici]ing what are very serious and weighty questions Did the president of the United 6tates engage in impeachable conduct And is it prudent to impeach him when the Constitution will remove him from office in a matter of days
On the first question, the answer is clearly yes. It is true that, as some le gal scholars have pointed out, Trump would never be convicted of incitement in a criminal court. As former federal prosecutor Andy McCarthy, who successful ly prosecuted blind sheikh” Omar Abdel Rahman for incitement, told me, an in citement case is very diffi cult in criminal court. ... ou have to intend that a violent crime take place.” McCarthy points out, however, that the issue in impeachment is not criminal liability, but wheth er the president committed what Alexander Hamilton described as political offens es that call into question his fitness for office. And by that standard, McCarthy says, what Trump did was clearly an impeachable offense” and a deep betrayal of his ob ligations as president . . . to protect our elections, rather than undermine them, and to protect Congress.”
)or more than six weeks, Trump ginned up anger among his supporters, tell ing them they had reelect ed him in a landslide and that their victory was being stolen from them. He then brought a massive crowd to :ashington on the day that Congress was meeting to confirm Biden’s electoral college victory, and urged them to march on the Cap itol. He might not have in tended for his supporters to storm the building, but he recklessly stoked a throng of people who did Must that – – and five deaths occurred.
Instead of imme diately rushing to the cameras to call off his supporters, Trump sat back and watched them ransack the Capitol. An hour after they had overwhelmed police barricades, Trump poured gasoline on the fire, tweeting Mike Pence didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country.” Indeed, Trump never even bothered to call to see whether the vice pres ident was safe. Only at p.m. did Trump feebly tweet urging the already violent mob to 6tay peaceful ” It was not until 1 p.m. – – nearly three hours into the assault – – that Trump fi nally posted a video telling his supporters you have to go home now.” (ven then, he spent more time claim ing his landslide” election was stolen” than calling for calm.
And while Trump might not have intended to pro voke violence, he intended to send a crowd to coerce Pence into committing an unconstitutional act by in validating electoral votes cast for Biden. That is an abuse of power. Trump told the crowd that all 9ice President Pence has to do is send it back to the states to recertify, and we become president.” They swarmed into the Capitol chanting Hang Mike Pence” when he refused. Trump played with matches and started a forest fire – – that makes him cul pable for the death and de struction that ensued, even if he didn’t intend to set the fire.
The second question is more difficult. If Trump had nine months left in office, rather than nine days, there is no doubt that he should be removed from office. It is unclear, however, whether at this late date, an impeach ment trial is in the country’s best interests. It would di vide the country, turn Trump into a martyr, and keep him front and center for months into Biden’s term. There is also the risk that he might be acquitted, because some Re publicans might decide they cannot convict a president who has already left office, while others fear alienating constituents who Must voted to give Trump a second term. Trump could then claim vindication. The best thing might be to let him simply leave in ignominy. But Pelo si seems to care more about politics and retribution than what is best for the country.