Yesterday, the House impeachment managers for the trial of unstable demagogue and fraudster Donald "Impeachable Me" Trump released their trial brief. Some key excerpts (emphasis added):
"President Donald J. Trump used his official powers to pressure a foreign government to interfere in a United States election for his personal political gain, and then attempted to cover up his scheme by obstructing Congress’s investigation into his misconduct."
"...Thomas Jefferson and John Adams warned of 'foreign Interference, Intrigue, Influence' and predicted that, 'as often as Elections happen, the danger of foreign Influence recurs. The Framers therefore would have considered a President’s attempt to corrupt America’s democratic processes by demanding political favors from foreign powers to be a singularly pernicious act."
"His effort to gain a personal political benefit by encouraging a foreign government to undermine America’s democratic process strikes at the core of misconduct that the Framers designed impeachment to protect against. [snip] An officer abuses his power if he exercises his official power to obtain an improper personal benefit while ignoring or undermining the national interest. An abuse that involves an effort to solicit foreign interference in an American election is uniquely dangerous."The House managers also reminded the Senate that Trump's obstruction constituted a pattern:
"President Trump’s obstruction of the House’s impeachment inquiry was consistent with his previous efforts to undermine Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation of Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and of the President’s own misconduct."
"President Trump repeatedly used his powers of office to undermine and derail the Mueller investigation, particularly after learning that he was personally under investigation for obstruction of justice."
"... a President cannot be permitted to hide his offenses from view by refusing to comply with a Congressional impeachment inquiry and ordering Executive Branch agencies to do the same. That conclusion is particularly important given the Department of Justice’s position that the President cannot be indicted. If the President could both avoid accountability under the criminal laws and preclude an effective impeachment investigation, he would truly be above the law.
"But that is what President Trump has attempted to do, and why President Trump’s conduct is the Framers’ worst nightmare. He directed his Administration to defy every subpoena issued in the House’s impeachment investigation."And the wrap up:
"If the Senate permits President Trump to remain in office, he and future leaders would be emboldened to welcome, and even enlist, foreign interference in elections for years to come. When the American people’s faith in their electoral process is shaken and its results called into question, the essence of democratic self-government is called into doubt. [snip] President Trump has betrayed the American people and the ideals on which the Nation was founded. Unless he is removed from office, he will continue to endanger our national security, jeopardize the integrity of our elections, and undermine our core constitutional principles."The crimes are as plain and egregious as one could ever imagine, but sadly, Senate Republicans will do their best to ignore them and to acquit their Dear Leader.
BONUS: After White House mouthpieces released an Orwellian 7- page response (no link) to the 111- page House trial brief, the House managers responded:
“Rather than honestly address the evidence against him, the President’s latest filing makes the astounding claim that pressuring Ukraine to interfere in our election by announcing investigations that would damage a political opponent and advance his reelection is the President’s way of fighting corruption. It is not. Rather it is corruption itself, naked, unapologetic and insidious.”
