By Calvin Hill
At the mere appointment of a Special Counsel in the Russia investigation and before Bob Mueller recruited a single prosecutor, collected a single piece of evidence, or indicted a single colluding Russian or American, Donald Trump said, “I’m effed. That’s the end of my presidency.” And after lambasting Jeff Sessions, his handpicked Attorney General, for recusing himself, Trump asked, “Where’s my Roy Cohn?”
At that point it should have occurred to the Republican cognoscenti that they were not dealing with a political or judicial neophyte. Instead of the GOP bowing and scraping before the altar of Trump’s tough talking wizard behind the curtain act, his stringent need for a disgraced and disbarred defense attorney denotes an urgent need to be protected against damning facts that could expose his duplicity and criminality.
If you cut through all the guilty pleas, testimony, indictments and obstruction over the 22 months of the Mueller investigation, there is one simple answer to one simple question that Mueller gave during his Congressional testimony. When asked if Trump could be prosecuted after leaving office, Mr. Mueller unwaveringly answered, “Yes!”
As the US Senate labors over the fate of the 45th President of the United States and his actions concerning Ukraine, Mr. Mueller’s “Yes” should be of paramount consideration as to why this president should be removed from office. It was the day after that yes when Donald Trump made the phone call which unleashed his international conspiracy to win, and subsequently cover up, another election.
We went from 8 years of the successes, optimism, possibilities and leadership of “Yes we can,” to the very dark, corrosive and criminal reality of, “Yes he did.” Did Donald Trump openly solicit campaign help from Russia? Yes he did. Did Donald Trump haphazardly move our troops around just to put money in his pocket? Yes he did. Did Donald Trump fire his administration officials who challenged his illegal requests and desires? Yes, he did.
Did Donald Trump cross a line when his alleged “perfect call” attempted to extort a campaign favor from the Ukrainian President in desperate need to defend his country from Russian aggression? The Republicans agreed that he did. They all said to a person, that it was wrong and inappropriate. But after some primary encouragement, they have since decided that there was nothing wrong with the perfectly corrupt call. However, that is Donald Trump’s life story – “I didn’t do anything wrong.” Housing discrimination, fraud, non-payment of labor and materials, using charitable donations to pay his fines and bills, and lying about all things Obama are Trump’s idea of being an “honest person.”
Now the Republicans have stooped to declaring that the Articles of Impeachment are invalid, unconstitutional and a myriad of other absurd reasons because the cited abuses do not charge any specific crime(s). Somehow these terrified Republicans summoned enough courage to face down their presidential party leader when he chose to go all in on holding the 2020 G7 Summit at his Doral Hotel in Florida – and he caved. Yet they cower in fear of his Twitter tantrums as he bastardizes the Constitution and tramples all over their Congressional authority. In their warped sense of responsibility, they are prepared to acquit him because they think he is only doing it to Democrats.
As the clarion call for witnesses spreads throughout the country and the media during the impeachment trial, the President’s defense is already spouting untruths along with Russian talking points and propaganda. Unfortunately, while Attorney General Bill Barr, Trump’s Roy Cohn, does not see fit to recuse himself from his serious conflicts of interest, any witnesses can lie under oath without fear of legal jeopardy or retribution – or a Trump promise of a pardon.
But where will Republicans stand when Trump plots his revenge after being acquitted? When they allow Donald Trump to walk away from his extortion, emoluments clause violations, defaming our allies, abusing the military to make money, destructive tariffs, and his propping up Putin throughout Europe and Asia will seem like just another profit making round of golf for the Trump Organization compared to his taste for vengeance.
Donald Trump is not a nice man. There are people, and lawsuits that will attest to that from coast to coast. His ignorance shines brighter than Todd Aiken immortalizing “legitimate rape” as a method of birth control. With the exception of Rep. Justin Amash, who had to leave the party, no Congressional Republican is willing to publicly stand up in defiance of Putin led Trumpism and echo the sanity of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, “He’s just not worth it.” As for whether he needs to be removed from office as soon as humanly possible, Robert Mueller had me at “Yes!”
The Op-Ed Alternative 