LETTER TO THE EDITOR / WHEN THE SHIP STARTS TO SINK

ROGER C. KOSTMAYER

There’s a great debate about when or if the House of Representatives should, as the Constitution requires, impeach the President for “high crimes”. Though not a formal impeachment, an “impeachment inquiry” process (like the Nixon investigations) nullifies the arguments against impeachment that are based on the assumption that it will “fail” because Senate Republicans won’t convict, regardless of the evidence.

The fear-of-failure perspective ignores several legal and historical realities: The power of the American people when they have an opportunity to listen to, watch and understand testimony and evidence; Secondly, the negative impact on the image of an individual who is being impeached – especially a candidate for President; And, if public opinion fails to cause Senate Republicans to suddenly put country and Constitution before party, the House need not involve the Senate.

The House of Representatives should decide NOW to launch a criminal impeachment inquiry, then hold open hearings for the public, and decide later (if the evidence supports it) whether to present the case to the Senate to convict. If Sen. McConnell is still blocking a legitimate process then, in the name of the American people, the House should ignore the Senate and formally condemn and censure the President for his crimes. Even Trump will find this difficult to claim as victory, exoneration or fake news.

As for the likelihood of 67 Senators rising above politics and convicting a President, only time will tell if the old sailor’s warning is true – “When the ship starts to sink, the rats will jump overboard”.

[livemarket market_name="KONK Life LiveMarket" limit=3 category=“” show_signup=0 show_more=0]