Henry Flores ● Impeachment ● Our Voices/Nuestras Voces

Impeachment

Henry Flores, PhD

voiceofthemainland.blogspot.com/voces-index

The United States Constitution. Article II, Section 4:

“The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

Impeaching the President of the United States is a serious matter and little talked about unless it appears obvious that the president meets the mandates in Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution. Treason and bribery are easily defined but what do “High Crimes and Misdemeanors” mean? A perusal of the historical record one will discover that not much was said about High Crimes and Misdemeanors during the Constitutional Convention. The historical record, mostly the diaries kept by members of the Constitutional Convention and in essays they wrote afterwards, discussed the meaning of High Crimes and Misdemeanors. For instance, in 1833 Justice Joseph Story, in Commentaries of the Constitution of the United States (3 Vols.) set forth in great detail what should be considered under this category.

Justice Story noted that one of the categories spoken of by some of the composers was “maladministration.” This translated into pursuing public policies that harm the well-being of the nation or run contrary to the nation’s interests and the good of the people. Story then added “receipt of presents from foreign powers,” “lying to Congress,” and “political offenses growing out of personal misconduct and gross neglect, or usurpation, or habitual disregard for the public interests.”

If we were to apply each of these impeachment categories to the current president, we could easily come to the conclusion that he is worthy of impeachment. Time and space limitations inhibit an exhaustive list of Trumpian violations so here are a sample of some that may meet the prerequisites for impeachment.

Maladministration-

· Trump mishandled the COVID epidemic resulting in thousands dying.

· He has mismanaged the imposition on tariffs which have led to some food shortages, increased prices of gasoline, food and housing, and inflation.

· Alienated allies and tarnished the national and international reputation of the USA through removal from World Health Organization, destabilizing relations with NATO.

Lying to Congress-

· Trump lied during various State of the Union addresses concerning immigration, the economy, relations with other countries, and COVID.

· Mr. Trump has lied to the American public approximately 35,000 times on all subjects including election fraud, immigration, the Iranian War, relations with China and Russia, public health, the economy, taxing policy, his health and so forth.

Receipt of presents from Foreign Nations-

· Luxury jet from Qatar valued at $400 million.

· Business concessions in several Middle Eastern countries in real estate and crypto currencies.

Political Offenses-

· Using the Department of Justice to seek revenge on perceived political enemies such as James Comey, Mark Milley, Joe Biden, Barrack Obama, among others.

· Inciting an attack on Congress.

· Insulting world leaders including Pope Leo XIV, President Zelensky of the Ukraine, and the presidents of Mexico, France and the Prime Minister of Israel.

· Working to defeat the reelection of politicians who have disagreed or argued with him.

Civil Offenses-

· Income Tax fraud.

· Property tax fraud.

Criminal Offenses-

· Violation of National Security Act through mishandling of classified documents and information.

· Abused the powers of the presidency and misappropriate the powers of Congress.

Although some of these offenses occurred during his first administration investigations and final adjudication have not concluded. Another category that has not been addressed is his personal behavior. His comportment in office is not what is expected of an individual who sits in the most powerful office in the world. Whether Mr. Trump realizes it or not, the presidency is an office that the world looks up to. The United States, before Trump’s arrival, was the largest and most powerful economy that supports the global wellbeing. He is the Commander-in-Chief of the most sophisticated military in the world and one which can dominate almost any opponent with only a small percentage of its power. The president is also supposed to be an example for United States families, particularly the children.

I’m not sure why Congress has failed to bring impeachment charges against Mr. Trump because he has certainly violated every standard for impeachment and more. Maybe it’s because Congress has a bad self-image and sees itself as the weakest of the three branches. I have news for the Congress. The framers of the Constitution made it very clear that Congress is the first institution of the land; it is where the voices of the people are heard; it is the institution responsible for the people’s money; it has the power to declare war on our enemies; it has the power to hold the executive and judicial branches to task; it is the institution that composes the laws of the land. So, why does not the Congress do its job, live up to its responsibilities and impeach President Trump, except this time remove him from office.