1/13/21
The House of Representatives will vote Wednesday to impeach President Trump a second time. Republicans should support the effort. Impeachment of any official, especially a president, should not be pursued lightly. It is warranted only when evidence is overwhelming that a public officer is incapable of upholding the public trust. That often means evidence of criminal intent or action: Someone who takes bribes, for example, should be impeached because it shows the official can’t be trusted to act for the public rather than for his or her own interests. The president’s actions since the election clearly show that he cannot separate what is good for the country from what is good for him. He fanned the flames of public discord with wild and unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud, a direct assault on the most valuable asset any republic has: faith in the fairness of the election process. His call for multiple rallies in Washington in support of his fantasies, culminating in the Jan. 6 rally that turned into the violent storming of the Capitol, showed a reckless disregard for the health of our country. Angry crowds who believe their nation is literally being stolen from them are capable of acts of rash madness. Trump might not have intended for his legions to attack Congress, but only a fool would have so egged them on if violence had been even a remote possibility.
President Trump’s
statements on Tuesday show that he has no remorse for his actions. He still believes the election was stolen. He still believes his role in organizing and supporting the Jan. 6 mob was appropriate. There is every reason to believe that he would have been content had the mob forced a captive or cowed Congress to overturn the election. Such a man cannot sit in the Oval Office. Impeachment would allow senators to remove Trump, but it would also allow them to permanently bar him from ever holding federal office again. That, not his removal from the last seven days of his term, is the real aim of this endeavor. I did not support impeaching Trump last time. Many of my fellow Republicans are likely to disagree with me. Republican voters might initially believe he is a martyr for their causes, but they also have not heard any serious Republican voices contesting his lies and bluster. There is no reason to think you cannot persuade them to change their minds by telling the truth. Republicans, often against their best instincts, gave Trump the benefit of the doubt for four years. We can no longer doubt: We know now beyond a reasonable doubt what he is capable of. Our country’s founders pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor to secure our freedom. We, their heirs, must do no less.