It’s a sad day in American history. The 45th president of the United States has become only the 3rd president to be impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives.
I am a fierce critic of the president, and I congratulate House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for initiating the impeachment process. But I take no joy in the proceedings. The need to impeach the president is obvious but also a sad commentary on American politics.
This is the tragic tale of a man who rose to the highest office in the land on a platform built on insult and invective. A priority for any president should be to bring Americans together. But Donald Trump has insulted Hispanics and demeaned women. His divide and conquer approach to the presidency has produced a rash of hate crimes and murders committed by white supremacists. (RELATED: LICHTMAN: Pelosi, Schiff Should Take More Time If They Want A Successful Impeachment Effort)
Donald Trump is a sad excuse for a human being, but that isn’t an impeachable offense under the Constitution. But his disregard for the document is justification for removal from office. His presidency has trampled the constitutional powers of Congress and the courts. The founders devised the system of checks and balances to prevent a president like this one from abusing the powers of the presidency.
Trump’s use of money to build his wall on the Mexican border without a congressional appropriation is abuse of power in its purest form. His refusal to cooperate with legitimate congressional investigations elevates the executive branch over the legislative in a way that would have horrified the Founding Fathers. His steadfast refusal to cooperate with the constitutionally legitimate House impeachment process is the solid basis for the second article of impeachment.
Trump swore an oath to protect Americans from foreign enemies. But in many instances including Syria and Ukraine, Donald Trump has gone out of his way to put the interests of Russian president Vladimir Putin above the interests of the nation he pledged to safeguard. (RELATED: RNC CHAIR MCDANIEL: Democrats Betray America With Impeachment Vote)
The testimony on Ukraine from members of his own foreign policy team made it quite clear that the president was not at all concerned about protecting the fledgling democracy and American ally from a Russian military invasion but rather was selfishly motivated by digging up dirt on a political rival. Trump’s quid pro quo is bribery by any legal standard and is the focus of the first article of impeachment.
The impeachment vote may destroy Donald Trump’s presidency, but it is the first step in a long and painful process to restore the integrity and dignity of an office that he undermined.
Brad Bannon (@BradBannon) is a Democratic pollster and CEO of Bannon Communications Research, and host of the nationally syndicated radio show and podcast, “Deadline D.C. with Brad Bannon.”
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.