An image of President Donald Trump appears on video screens before his speech to Ellipse supporters at the White House on Jan. 6.
Photo:
Bill Clark/Zuma Press
The occupant of these columns is the Constitution of the United States. This document is a solid foundation that protects freedom, and this week it proved its worth once again. Although he was out of the crowd for a while, Congress returned the same day to ratify the Electoral College vote.
Joe Biden’s house
The choice. Congratulations to the newly elected President on the 20th anniversary of his inauguration in accordance with the Constitution. January at noon.
***
The only question that remains is what to do with the remaining 13 days in
Donald Trump
the presidential era. Democratic leaders.
Chuck Schumer
и
Nancy Pelosi.
to demand that Mr. Trump be removed from office immediately, either by the Cabinet under the 25th Amendment. Constitutional amendment or by the new indictment articles. There is some biased animation here, but Mr. Trump’s actions on Wednesday raise constitutional issues that are not being dismissed out of hand.
In short, the Chief Executive urged the crowd to march past Parliament on Wednesday. The express purpose was to urge Congress and the Vice President to
Mike Pence.
Voters in enough states deny Biden a victory in the Electoral College. When some of the crowd turned violent and occupied Capitol Hill, the president gave up and refused to be recalled for too long. When he spoke, he covered his statement with an election complaint.
It was an attack on the constitutional process of transferring power after elections. It was also an attack on the legislature by an executive who had sworn to uphold the laws of the United States. It goes beyond the simple refusal to admit defeat. In our view, this crosses a constitutional line that Mr. Trump has not yet outgrown. It’s flawless.
Many of Mr. Trump’s opponents are happy that their predictions were correct, that he was never fit to be president, and that he should have been removed long ago. But Mr. Trump’s character flaws were obvious to everyone when he ran for president.
Sixty-three million Americans voted to elect Trump in 2016, and that constitutional process should not be undone, as Democrats and the press have been demanding since almost his first term in office. They do not suspend liability for preventive breaches or breaches that do not reach the level of constitutional breaches. This week’s actions are a far greater dereliction of duty than his gross interventions in Ukraine in 2019.
***
A related but separate issue is whether indictment or forcible removal proceedings are appropriate under the 25th Amendment. The constitutional amendment is currently in the best interest of the country. The latter seems inappropriate, unless Mr. Trump threatens to commit another reckless or unconstitutional act. After Wednesday, he promised to help with an orderly transfer of power. A firm ousting him would have looked like a Beltway hit and given Mr. Trump another reason to play the political victim.
Impeachment has the advantage of being transparent and politically expedient. If there were enough votes in the Senate to convict, it would also seem less partisan. The best case for an indictment is to not punish Mr. Atout. It’s about sending a message to future presidents that Congress will be wary of any populist, regardless of ideology, who is willing to stir up the crowd and threaten Capitol Hill or its members.
But a charge at this late date will not be easy or without malice. It will be Mr. Trump’s supporters who have grown even angrier in a way that will not help Mr. Biden govern, let alone heal partisan divisions. This would pour political oil on the dying embers of the environment.
Especially since Democrats are unlikely to act responsibly or with restraint. They’re already in the articles of impeachment, which have included a litany of anti-Trumping complaints over the past four years. Ms Pelosi’s ultimatum on Thursday that Mr Pence become the 25th president. The named or impeached amendment won’t win the GOP votes either.
Democrats would be more confident in the indictment today if they didn’t take advantage of it in 2019. An impeachment parade with Russian cooperating promoters Reps.
Adam Schiff
и
Jerrold Nadler.
will alienate more Americans than it will convince. The mission will look like political revenge, not constitutional enforcement, and Mr. Trump will play that role until his last breath. Mr. Biden could have shown more goodwill by withdrawing the indictment in the name of abandoning a policy of destruction.
***
If Mr. Trump wants to avoid a second indictment, the best thing he can do is take personal responsibility and resign. That would be the cleanest solution, because then Mr Pence could hand over the Presidency immediately. And that would make Mr. Donner Trump, Richard Nixon-style, power over his own destiny.
It could also stem the tide of White House and cabinet resignations, which are understandable as conscientious objections, but which could leave the government dangerously uninhabited.
Robert O’Brien,
In particular, the national security adviser should remain in place.
We know Mr. Trump’s act of mercy is unlikely. In any case, this week has probably ended his status as a serious politician. It cost the Republicans the House, the White House and now the Senate. Worse, he betrayed his loyal supporters by lying to them about the election and the ability of Congress and Mr. Pence to overturn it. He refused to accept the fundamental deal of democracy, which is to accept the result, whether you win or lose.
It’s better for everyone, including yourself, if he leaves quietly.
Potomac Watch: A politician must work hard to destroy the legacy and the future in one day. To President Donald J. Trump. Trump is a success. Photo: John Minchillo/Presse Associée
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Appears in the print edition on January 8, 2021.
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