It came as no surprise to most that an inquiry into impeachment was finally drawn up for President Donald Trump. Since before the election in 2016, Trump filled headlines with news of his borderline, if not over-the-line, illegal actions — and once officially president, he and the rest of his administration only further toppled the precedents of the Union. While it is vital to begin the impeachment process, people must also recognize that impeachment can have ramifications larger than just Trump’s potential removal from the highest office in the country.
The President was recently caught threatening to withhold military aid to Ukraine unless Ukraine’s president investigated the presumed wrongdoings of Vice President Joe Biden, one of the frontrunners of the Democratic race for presidential candidate. Trump offered the assistance of Attorney General William Barr, as well as his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, to complete this investigation, with the aim of weakening Biden’s chances of winning the nomination for Democratic candidate in the 2020 presidential election.
Not only is this move ethically and morally wrong, it is also illegal to seek assistance in an election from any foreign government or citizen. Trump’s brazen request was the straw that broke the camel’s back for Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, whose eventual endorsement of an official impeachment inquiry left no question that the government should hold Trump legally accountable for his actions.
Trump acted illegally and should be held accountable. There is no reason why, after nearly four years of scandals, headlines and outrage, Trump should still be in office without a dent on his record. What precedent would it set for administrations to come if we implied that his actions were acceptable?
On that note, it is also important to recognize that the impeachment inquiry can have negative consequences, as well, whether or not Trump is actually convicted and removed from office. First, if the House of Representatives, particularly the House Democrats, are unable to efficiently mobilize, subpoena, and investigate, it will play badly for the party in the upcoming elections, and have reciprocal, positive effects on Trump’s campaign. “They were unable to get their act together,” the President would say, “what makes you think they are a fit party to run the country?”
If the House is not only unable to get their act together, but also unable to present hard evidence that Trump did in fact violate Article II, Section IV of the United States Constitution, it will play even worse in their chances of a win in 2020. If the Senate acquits Trump after years of being ragged on, questioned, and criticized, his staunch supporters and moderates who’ve been toeing the line of supporting him will rally behind Trump in fervent support of the President Who Actually Did Nothing Wrong.
Lastly, let’s be honest here. If Trump is found to be in violation of the Constitution, and after a long, meticulous trial is convicted and removed from office, would it really be beneficial to the country? Yes, we would no longer have an unfit celebrity in office, but we would have Vice President Mike Pence, a seasoned politician whose views are arguably more controversial and worrisome than those of the President. Trump is obscene and threatening; the Vice President, with legitimate government experience, has the ability to make actual policy change.
Trump was unfit to be president long before he was elected, and it is time he is shown that his immorality and illegality can no longer be tolerated. In a perfect world, after the inquiry ends, the citizens of the United States see that Trump is unfit for reelection in 2020, and that the Republican Senate was beholden to an unethical, morally corrupt president, left vulnerable to incoming Democratic candidates.