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Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump makes an appearance prior to the start of play during the final round of the World Golf Championships-Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral Blue Monster Course on March 6, 2016 in Doral, Florida. (Photo: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
The Antidote to Trump's Corrupt G7 Deal? Impeachment and Conviction
This is a president who believes the powers of the presidency are bestowed on him to advance his own personal interests—political and profit-seeking—rather than those of the American people.
Oct 18, 2019
President Donald Trump no longer sees fit even to pretend that he is constrained by the law or the U.S. Constitution.
It's hard to imagine a more blatant violation of the Constitution's anti-corruption provisions than the president steering foreign governments to stay at his luxury resort.
Yet that is exactly what the Trump administration is doing by scheduling the next meeting of the G7 -- the grouping of the seven leading rich countries -- at the Trump National Doral resort near Miami.
But this is a line too far. The time for impeachment is now.
This is a president who believes the powers of the presidency are bestowed on him to advance his own personal interests--political and profit-seeking--rather than those of the American people.
This is the exact attitude that leads to foreign policy being outsourced to the president's lawyer and his shady accomplices.
It is the exact attitude that leads to the president withholding military aid to Ukraine to pressure that country to intervene in our elections.
It is the exact attitude that has the president interfere with the location of the FBI headquarters because he fears competition with his Washington, D.C., hotel -- a hotel operating in violation of the lease with the government and itself a violation of the Constitution's anti-corruption provisions.
It is an attitude that says, I'm above the law.
But Trump is not above the law.
There is a constitutional remedy for a president who believes and carries out policy as if he is above the law and immune from constitutional restraint: impeachment and conviction.
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. |
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Robert Weissman
Robert Weissman is the president of Public Citizen. Weissman was formerly director of Essential Action, editor of Multinational Monitor, a magazine that tracks corporate actions worldwide, and a public interest attorney at the Center for Study of Responsive Law. He was a leader in organizing the 2000 IMF and World Bank protests in D.C. and helped make HIV drugs available to the developing world.
President Donald Trump no longer sees fit even to pretend that he is constrained by the law or the U.S. Constitution.
It's hard to imagine a more blatant violation of the Constitution's anti-corruption provisions than the president steering foreign governments to stay at his luxury resort.
Yet that is exactly what the Trump administration is doing by scheduling the next meeting of the G7 -- the grouping of the seven leading rich countries -- at the Trump National Doral resort near Miami.
But this is a line too far. The time for impeachment is now.
This is a president who believes the powers of the presidency are bestowed on him to advance his own personal interests--political and profit-seeking--rather than those of the American people.
This is the exact attitude that leads to foreign policy being outsourced to the president's lawyer and his shady accomplices.
It is the exact attitude that leads to the president withholding military aid to Ukraine to pressure that country to intervene in our elections.
It is the exact attitude that has the president interfere with the location of the FBI headquarters because he fears competition with his Washington, D.C., hotel -- a hotel operating in violation of the lease with the government and itself a violation of the Constitution's anti-corruption provisions.
It is an attitude that says, I'm above the law.
But Trump is not above the law.
There is a constitutional remedy for a president who believes and carries out policy as if he is above the law and immune from constitutional restraint: impeachment and conviction.
Robert Weissman
Robert Weissman is the president of Public Citizen. Weissman was formerly director of Essential Action, editor of Multinational Monitor, a magazine that tracks corporate actions worldwide, and a public interest attorney at the Center for Study of Responsive Law. He was a leader in organizing the 2000 IMF and World Bank protests in D.C. and helped make HIV drugs available to the developing world.
President Donald Trump no longer sees fit even to pretend that he is constrained by the law or the U.S. Constitution.
It's hard to imagine a more blatant violation of the Constitution's anti-corruption provisions than the president steering foreign governments to stay at his luxury resort.
Yet that is exactly what the Trump administration is doing by scheduling the next meeting of the G7 -- the grouping of the seven leading rich countries -- at the Trump National Doral resort near Miami.
But this is a line too far. The time for impeachment is now.
This is a president who believes the powers of the presidency are bestowed on him to advance his own personal interests--political and profit-seeking--rather than those of the American people.
This is the exact attitude that leads to foreign policy being outsourced to the president's lawyer and his shady accomplices.
It is the exact attitude that leads to the president withholding military aid to Ukraine to pressure that country to intervene in our elections.
It is the exact attitude that has the president interfere with the location of the FBI headquarters because he fears competition with his Washington, D.C., hotel -- a hotel operating in violation of the lease with the government and itself a violation of the Constitution's anti-corruption provisions.
It is an attitude that says, I'm above the law.
But Trump is not above the law.
There is a constitutional remedy for a president who believes and carries out policy as if he is above the law and immune from constitutional restraint: impeachment and conviction.
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