Impeachment necessary even if Trump isn’t removed

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, December 11, 2019

There appear to be two schools of thought concerning how to get rid of a president: to impeach him, or to let him stand for reelection and “let the people decide.”

Presuming, for the moment, that he lose the election, he will remain in office as a lame duck until Jan. 20. A vindictive man can do a great deal of mischief during that time. If a president should not accept his loss, claiming that the election was “fraudulent and rigged,” then there could be endless recounts and challenges of the results in every state. Mercifully, his term would expire on Jan. 20, but who would be sworn in on that day may be in doubt, given a complicit Senate and hand-picked Supreme Court. At this time, it looks unlikely that the current president will be convicted and removed by the Senate, so probably it will go to the election.

On the other hand, a successful impeachment would remove the president instantly. Even if he is not convicted, impeachment is still a good idea. Each and every member of Congress will be forced to publicly reveal how he or she stands on he matter. There will be no chance to hide from history behind the anonymous mass of “the people.”

Charles DeBruler

Everett