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The president's many year-end meltdowns, as well as revelations regarding his past wrongdoing, have turned the conversation toward precisely the accountability issues that Moore has been raising. (Photo: Elvert Barnes/Flickr/cc)
Impeachment Will Be on the Table in 2019
If Americans take seriously the impeachment process that led to the end of Richard Nixon’s presidency in 1974, then we can no longer neglect the arguments for Trump’s impeachment
Dec 30, 2018
Congresswoman Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, has for more than a year argued that President Trump needs to be impeached. Initially, Moore's was something of a voice in the wilderness, as most top Democrats persisted in arguing that the constitutional response to a lawless presidency was "off the table."
But the president's many year-end meltdowns, as well as revelations regarding his past wrongdoing, have turned the conversation toward precisely the accountability issues that Moore has been raising.
Indeed, if Americans take seriously the impeachment process that led to the end of Richard Nixon's presidency in 1974, then we can no longer neglect the arguments for Trump's impeachment.
The first article of impeachment against Nixon stemmed from illegal activity during the 1972 presidential campaign and specifically indicted the sitting president for: "Making or causing to be made false or misleading public statements for the purpose of deceiving the people of the United States into believing that a thorough and complete investigation had been conducted with respect to allegations of misconduct on the part of personnel of the executive branch of the United States and personnel of the Committee for the Re-election of the President, and that there was no involvement of such personnel in such misconduct."
To deny this fact is to deny the reality and the intent of the Constitution to which members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate will swear their fealty when the 116th Congress is constituted in January.
As 2018 closed, Trump stood accused of engaging in illegal activity during the 2016 presidential campaign and of making false and misleading statements about those activities. That was the essential takeaway from statements by Michael Cohen, the president's longtime lawyer and associate who revealed that candidate Trump directed him to make illegal payments in order to prevent revelations of Trump's personal wrongdoing before the 2016 election.
A clear-eyed consideration of what we now know with regard to the president's actions reopens and extends the impeachment discussion that Moore and others began more than a year ago. To deny this fact is to deny the reality and the intent of the Constitution to which members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate will swear their fealty when the 116th Congress is constituted in January.
The incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, New York Congressman Jerry Nadler, effectively acknowledged this truth following the release of a sentencing memo in which prosecutors with the Manhattan U.S. attorney's office explained: "In particular, and as Cohen himself has now admitted, with respect to both payments, he acted in coordination with and at the direction of Individual-1."
"Individual-1" is the sitting president of the United States.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
© 2023 The Capital Times
John Nichols
John Nichols is Washington correspondent for The Nation and associate editor of The Capital Times in Madison, Wisconsin. His books co-authored with Robert W. McChesney are: "Dollarocracy: How the Money and Media Election Complex is Destroying America" (2014), "The Death and Life of American Journalism: The Media Revolution that Will Begin the World Again" (2011), and "Tragedy & Farce: How the American Media Sell Wars, Spin Elections, and Destroy Democracy" (2006). Nichols' other books include: "The "S" Word: A Short History of an American Tradition...Socialism" (2015), "Dick: The Man Who is President (2004) and "The Genius of Impeachment: The Founders' Cure for Royalism" (2006).
Congresswoman Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, has for more than a year argued that President Trump needs to be impeached. Initially, Moore's was something of a voice in the wilderness, as most top Democrats persisted in arguing that the constitutional response to a lawless presidency was "off the table."
But the president's many year-end meltdowns, as well as revelations regarding his past wrongdoing, have turned the conversation toward precisely the accountability issues that Moore has been raising.
Indeed, if Americans take seriously the impeachment process that led to the end of Richard Nixon's presidency in 1974, then we can no longer neglect the arguments for Trump's impeachment.
The first article of impeachment against Nixon stemmed from illegal activity during the 1972 presidential campaign and specifically indicted the sitting president for: "Making or causing to be made false or misleading public statements for the purpose of deceiving the people of the United States into believing that a thorough and complete investigation had been conducted with respect to allegations of misconduct on the part of personnel of the executive branch of the United States and personnel of the Committee for the Re-election of the President, and that there was no involvement of such personnel in such misconduct."
To deny this fact is to deny the reality and the intent of the Constitution to which members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate will swear their fealty when the 116th Congress is constituted in January.
As 2018 closed, Trump stood accused of engaging in illegal activity during the 2016 presidential campaign and of making false and misleading statements about those activities. That was the essential takeaway from statements by Michael Cohen, the president's longtime lawyer and associate who revealed that candidate Trump directed him to make illegal payments in order to prevent revelations of Trump's personal wrongdoing before the 2016 election.
A clear-eyed consideration of what we now know with regard to the president's actions reopens and extends the impeachment discussion that Moore and others began more than a year ago. To deny this fact is to deny the reality and the intent of the Constitution to which members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate will swear their fealty when the 116th Congress is constituted in January.
The incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, New York Congressman Jerry Nadler, effectively acknowledged this truth following the release of a sentencing memo in which prosecutors with the Manhattan U.S. attorney's office explained: "In particular, and as Cohen himself has now admitted, with respect to both payments, he acted in coordination with and at the direction of Individual-1."
"Individual-1" is the sitting president of the United States.
John Nichols
John Nichols is Washington correspondent for The Nation and associate editor of The Capital Times in Madison, Wisconsin. His books co-authored with Robert W. McChesney are: "Dollarocracy: How the Money and Media Election Complex is Destroying America" (2014), "The Death and Life of American Journalism: The Media Revolution that Will Begin the World Again" (2011), and "Tragedy & Farce: How the American Media Sell Wars, Spin Elections, and Destroy Democracy" (2006). Nichols' other books include: "The "S" Word: A Short History of an American Tradition...Socialism" (2015), "Dick: The Man Who is President (2004) and "The Genius of Impeachment: The Founders' Cure for Royalism" (2006).
Congresswoman Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, has for more than a year argued that President Trump needs to be impeached. Initially, Moore's was something of a voice in the wilderness, as most top Democrats persisted in arguing that the constitutional response to a lawless presidency was "off the table."
But the president's many year-end meltdowns, as well as revelations regarding his past wrongdoing, have turned the conversation toward precisely the accountability issues that Moore has been raising.
Indeed, if Americans take seriously the impeachment process that led to the end of Richard Nixon's presidency in 1974, then we can no longer neglect the arguments for Trump's impeachment.
The first article of impeachment against Nixon stemmed from illegal activity during the 1972 presidential campaign and specifically indicted the sitting president for: "Making or causing to be made false or misleading public statements for the purpose of deceiving the people of the United States into believing that a thorough and complete investigation had been conducted with respect to allegations of misconduct on the part of personnel of the executive branch of the United States and personnel of the Committee for the Re-election of the President, and that there was no involvement of such personnel in such misconduct."
To deny this fact is to deny the reality and the intent of the Constitution to which members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate will swear their fealty when the 116th Congress is constituted in January.
As 2018 closed, Trump stood accused of engaging in illegal activity during the 2016 presidential campaign and of making false and misleading statements about those activities. That was the essential takeaway from statements by Michael Cohen, the president's longtime lawyer and associate who revealed that candidate Trump directed him to make illegal payments in order to prevent revelations of Trump's personal wrongdoing before the 2016 election.
A clear-eyed consideration of what we now know with regard to the president's actions reopens and extends the impeachment discussion that Moore and others began more than a year ago. To deny this fact is to deny the reality and the intent of the Constitution to which members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate will swear their fealty when the 116th Congress is constituted in January.
The incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, New York Congressman Jerry Nadler, effectively acknowledged this truth following the release of a sentencing memo in which prosecutors with the Manhattan U.S. attorney's office explained: "In particular, and as Cohen himself has now admitted, with respect to both payments, he acted in coordination with and at the direction of Individual-1."
"Individual-1" is the sitting president of the United States.
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