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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.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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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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