For the 1st time in American history Congresspersons and Senators have justification to impeach and remove from office the same President for a 2nd time. But unlike the 1st time when it was right to impeach Donald Trump this time it is wrong to impeach Trump, this time it is right to censure him and others.
The violent attempt to stop the peaceful transition of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden, caused by a riotous mob overtaking the U.S. Capitol was both a low and high point for American democracy. It was a high point because the violent attempt failed and the democratic rule of law prevailed. It was a low point because some innocent misinformed Americans about the legitimacy of the 2020 election, along with some guilty racist misinformed Americans on what the changing racial demographics mean for America, attempted to violently prevent the certification and completion of a legal democratic election.
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 06: Donald Trump fires up the crowd at the “Stop The Steal” Rally on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Trump supporters gathered in the nation’s capital were told to march to Capitol Hill and block the ratification of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory over Trump in the 2020 election. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
It was an even lower point because the violent coup attempt against American democracy was inspired by the legally elected leader of American democracy, President Donald Trump. 5 people were needlessly killed, a pipe bomb was found, and Congresspersons and Senators were barricaded in the House chambers fearing for their life while Trump rioters violently enforced their takeover of the U.S. Capitol. Ultimately there is 1 definite reason and 1 possible reason Trump rioters were successful in their hostile takeover of the U.S. Capitol.
The possible reason is partisan politics, Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser in a letter addressed to acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy and acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller rejected federal assistance saying, “The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is prepared for this week’s First Amendment activities. The protection of persons and property is our utmost concern and responsibility. MPD is well trained and prepared to lead the law enforcement, coordination, and response.”
Since MPD was unable to prevent Trump protestors from vandalizing 2 American Black churches during a much smaller Trump protest rally 3 weeks ago, an objective person could reasonably assume that possibly Mayor Bowser rejected the federal assistance for this far larger protest demonstration, because the ultimate boss of federal law enforcement is her political foe, Donald Trump. The definite reason is the same reason that so many problems exist in America, SYSTEMIC RACISM!!! Capitol Hill Police (CHP) were overwhelmed by thousands of Trump rioters because unlike what they did for all the Black Lives Matter protest demonstrations in Washington D.C., CHP didn’t order all off duty officers to work and they refused offers of help from other law enforcement agencies because the protestors were American Whites and not American Blacks.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo. raises his fist to the crowd of rioters gathered outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 as a sign of support for their efforts to overturn a democratic election by violent force. Francis Chung / E&E News and Politico via AP Images
The ultimate motivation and inspiration for Trump rioters’ violent attempt to overthrow the 2020 presidential election lie solely with Donald John Trump. This fact alone is a stronger reason to impeach Trump than last January’s impeachment of him for simply trying to influence the outcome of the 2020 election. Unfortunately for impeach Trump proponents, this stronger reason to impeach Trump is outmatched by an even stronger overwhelming reason not to impeach Trump but to censure him. The overwhelming reason to censure and not impeach Trump is time.
If an American election result is to be overturned by removing the President the election result placed in office, it cannot be an emotional process. It must be a rational well-planned methodical process that should always take more than 2 weeks, regardless of why and who is being removed as President of the United States. A move by Democrats to impeach Trump, as opposed to a censure of him, is the same dumb downing of a process for political gain, that Democrats accused Republicans of in their 2-week process before the 2020 election to appoint Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, except impeachment dumb downing has far more potential negative consequences.
Impeachment, the removal of a President from office, cannot become a political weapon used against political foes for political gain or revenge, its very importance and complexity merits more than a 2-week process for both the accusers and the defending President. For Democrats to set the precedent that the House can investigate, deliberate, then vote to impeach, and the Senate can conduct a thorough impeachment trial to remove the world’s most important leader from office all within 2 weeks, dumbs impeachment down to a political weapon to be deployed at the drop of a hat.
Law Enforcement with guns drawn ready to defend Congresspersons, Senators and their staffs as protesters try to break into the House Chamber
Beyond any shadow of a doubt, Trump recklessly inspiring a violent mob to overturn a democratic election justifies a demand for Congress to impeach Trump, but a higher more important demand on Congress is to keep the impeachment process FREE OF EMOTIONAL POLITICS at all times for all Presidents whether Democratic or Republican. A censure of Trump accomplishes the same history-making condemnation of his administration and his horrible act of democratic subversion.
Since he will be involuntarily leaving office within 2 weeks this is the best option to accomplish the 2 goals of condemning the shameful act and preserving the non-political non-emotional longer than 2-week methodical process, by both the impeacher and the defending President, of removing a President from office. The responsibility of immediately removing a President from office when the need arises is not the purpose of the impeachment process, immediate removal of a President for any reason is the job of the 25th Amendment, the Vice-President, and 8 cabinet secretaries.
Senators, Congresspersons, and their staffs shelter in the House gallery as protesters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
The Vice-President and a President’s cabinet work directly with the President, they are in the best position to judge the danger of immediately or not immediately removing a President from office. To the impeach Trump proponents who will claim that Vice-President Mike Pence is too politically loyal to Trump to ever activate the 25th Amendment, I would suggest he already has informally done so. When Trump refused to order the National Guard in to defend the Capitol against the rioters’ Vice-President Pence stepped up and ordered them to defend the Capitol. Trump has declared that he as the nation’s elected leader will not participate on January 2o, 2021 @ 12 noon in the inaugural transfer of power to the nation’s newly elected leader Joe Biden, Vice-President Pence as the nation’s elected second in command leader declared he will attend in place of Trump.
Trump is not the only elected official that should be censured, Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley along with Congresspersons Mo Brooks and Madison Cawthorn, who both spoke words of riot encouragement at the rally preceding the violent attempt to occupy the nation’s capital, should also be censured by their respective legislative bodies. Not only should all 4 men be censured but they should lose all their committee appointments for half their term in office.
For Congresspersons Brooks and Cawthorn that would mean they would be barred from serving on any congressional committees for a year. Senators Cruz and Hawley would be barred from serving on any senate committee for 3 years. Additionally, Brooks should lose his seniority ranking in the House, and Cruz and Hawley should lose their seniority ranking in the Senate, since Cawthorn was just elected he has none to lose.
To have this traitorous hateful oppressive flag flying on the hallowed grounds of the world’s greatest democracy is a direct stab in the heart and memory of America’s Union Soldiers who fought and died to protect the United States Capitol from such a disgrace
Notwithstanding the horrendous loss of 5 lives, the thwarted pipe bomb, and the emotional and physical health impacts of the life-threatening terror experienced by Congresspersons, Senators, and their staffs during the violent takeover of the Capitol, long term it will become a faded out stain on the life of American democracy, compared to the potentially fatal bullet that Democrats are about to fire into the life of American democracy. If Democrats impeach Trump under these circumstances, they will be turning future impeachments into a constitutionally substance-less emotional and politically bias 2-week process political weapon, deployed at the drop of a hat, based on political party whims and not the wellbeing of America!!!
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