[“Speaking Truth To Empower”]
Trump with his buddy Vladimir Putin at Helsinki…
Photo: Facebook screenshot
Robert Mueller says Congress must act against lawless President Donald Trump…
On Wednesday, Robert Mueller debunked the notion he cleared Donald Trump of criminality in the Russian investigation saying, “if we had had confidence that the President clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so.”
Mueller basically told America Donald Trump is a treacherous criminal who should be prosecuted. He hinted at the Trump Administration’s “efforts to obstruct the investigation.”
The only question now is: will Democrats find their spines to do the right but difficult thing? Or, will political passivity, and anxiety about poll positioning, continue to dictate their actions?
On Wednesday, special counsel Robert Mueller broke his silence and spoke out against the misrepresentation of his work. Mueller made it clear he didn’t exonerate Trump of criminal contacts with Russia related to the 2016 Presidential campaign. Mueller’s interpretation differs drastically from that of Attorney General William Barr who suggested Muller’s Report had vindicated Trump.
Mueller said, “under long-standing Department [DOJ] policy, a President cannot be charged with a federal crime while he is in office…The special counsel’s office is part of the Department of Justice and by regulation it was bound by that Department policy. Charging the president with a crime was, therefore, not an option we could consider.”
Mueller made it clear it was Congress’ job to hold Trump accountable for his wrongdoing. He said, “the Constitution requires a process other than the criminal justice system to formally accuse a sitting President of wrongdoing.” Mueller’s Report represents an actual de facto indictment document against Donald Trump.
During his press conference, Mueller talked about the “reason we investigated efforts to obstruct the investigation.” He also stated, “When a subject of an investigation obstructs that investigation or lies to investigators, it strikes at the core of the government’s effort to find the truth and hold wrong doers accountable.” Here, Mueller is pointing the finger not just at members of Trump’s White House, but at Donald Trump himself.
Of course, obstruction by this White House is still occurring. Attorney General Barr has flatly refused to testify further to Congress about his handling of the Mueller Report. He has also rebuffed attempts to hand over the full unredacted version of the Report.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin has rejected Congress’ request to provide Trump’s tax returns. He is defying a subpoena from the House Ways and Means Committee related to handing over six years of Trump’s tax returns. Mnuchin claims he is doing so because the request has no “legitimate legislative purpose.”
Democrats must take all this into account as they decide whether they will impeach Trump.
We often hear grandstanding talk, in Congress, about the need to obey the “rule of law.” This is now being expose as nothing more than empty rhetoric. Trump broke the law by engaging in obstructing the Russia investigation by first firing former FBI Director James Comey. He then admitted it to America, perhaps unknowingly, telling Lester Holt “I decided to just do it [fire Comey] I said to myself, I said ‘you know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story.”
Trump then attempted to fire Mueller through White House counsel Don McGhan. Mueller’s Report states “the President sought to use his official powers to remove the Special Counsel.” The Report says “after the media reported on the President’s actions, he denied that he ever ordered McGahn to have the Special Counsel terminated and made repeated efforts to have McGahn deny the story…Those denials are contrary to the evidence and suggest the President’s awareness that the direction to McGahn could be seen as improper.”
It is also very obvious Trump asked people to lie to investigators—and to Congress. Michael Cohen told Congress “In his way, he [Trump] was telling me to lie.” Cohen also said the false testimony he initially gave to Congress was “reviewed and edited,” by Trump lawyers, “before [he] gave it.”
If Congress really believes in the “rule of law,” there is no way Trump would escape impeachment. If Trump isn’t impeached, then it makes little sense even having an impeachment statute on the books. Will we ever see an example where impeachment is more warranted than here?
Trump repeatedly parrots his line about “no collusion.” The evidence says something far different. Mueller’s Report tells us Trump’s own son attempted to collude with Russians. The Report highlights, on page 193, that “on June 3, 2016, Robert Goldstone [English publicist] emailed Donald Trump Jr., to pass along from Emin and Aras Agalarov [wealthy Russians connected to Putin] an ‘offer’ from Russia’s ‘Crown prosecutor’ to ‘the Trump campaign’ of ‘official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to [Trump Jr.’ s] father.’ The email described this as ‘very high level and sensitive information’ that is ‘part of Russia and its government’s support to Mr. Trump.” Trump Jr. responded: ‘if it’s what you say I love it especially later in the summer.”
Why did Don Jr. say, “I love it especially later in the summer?” Doesn’t this mean closer to the November elections?
In years past, we often heard Republicans preaching about “putting country before party.” Where are these political paragons of integrity now when we have the most despicable president of our lifetime desecrating all standards of decency? Republicans are now protecting a perverted petty president who makes excuses for Russia—a nation Republican President Ronald Reagan called the “evil empire.”
The only Republican who is “putting country before party” and showing integrity is Michigan Rep. Justin Amash. Because of his principled stance, Amash is now being labeled a RHINO—Republican in name only—by cowardly conservatives who are afraid of Trump. Immediately after Amash said Mueller’s Report pointed to impeachable offences, there was talk of taking him out in a primary challenge. Republicans are trying to crucify Amash, apparently fearful others will follow his lead.
During a recent town hall, Amash remained firm in his views saying, “Clearly, things that violate the public trust are impeachable. I think it’s really important that we do our job as Congress. That we would not allow misconduct to go undeterred.” Amash also said, “In truth, Mueller’s report describes concerning contacts between members of Trump’s campaign and people in or connected to the Russian government.”
Amash should be applauded here. However, we shouldn’t expect other Republicans to follow suit—especially, if Trump continues to be supported by most Republican voters. Partisan politics and winning elections are more important that honor to these politicians. This is why Republicans stay silent even as Mueller tells the nation the “Russian military launched a concerted attack on our political system” with the intention of interfering “with our election and to damage a presidential candidate.”
The Democrats are faced now with a crisis of leadership. Will they be cowered by what they believe is politically inexpedient?
Because of political calculations about winning elections, the Democratic Party leadership is reticent about launching impeachment proceedings. There is a fear this will help Trump in the 2020 Presidential Elections, since polls say a majority of Americans are against impeachment. Some fear an impeachment process will further divide the country. But Democrats should seriously consider the dangerous precedent not impeaching Trump will set.
Democrats are rightly worried the Republican-controlled Senate will not convict Trump in an impeachment trial. This is true. But Democrats should ask themselves whether they want to be on the right side of history or not?
If America is indeed “a nation of laws,” how can this lawless president not be impeached?
