If Democrats refuse to move forward on impeachment, outspoken former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner says it will only encourage more people like Donald Trump to run for office and follow his disastrous “blueprint.”
“Our republic cannot survive another Trump,” he said on Saturday.
In order to prevent another Trump, Kirschner says, impeachment is the only answer. Anything short would mean that lawmakers are “excusing” and “condoning” his corruption and abuses of power.
The full alarm bell Kirschner rang via Twitter on Saturday morning:
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Why must we impeach? Because if we don’t, we are excusing, condoning, & thereby validating what Trump has done. Moreover, if we don’t impeach, we are encouraging & inspiring the Trumps of tomorrow to follow the same blueprint. Our republic cannot survive another Trump.
— Glenn Kirschner (@glennkirschner2) May 25, 2019
Hundreds of former DOJ officials believe Trump has committed crimes
If you think Glenn Kirschner is exaggerating, it’s important to remember that he isn’t alone in his belief that Trump has committed impeachable offenses.
In a letter published earlier this month, around 700 former officials at the Department of Justice said Trump would have been indicted for the obstruction of justice crimes laid out in Robert Mueller’s report if he wasn’t the president of the United States.
“Each of us believes that the conduct of President Trump described in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report would, in the case of any other person not covered by the Office of Legal Counsel policy against indicting a sitting President, result in multiple felony charges for obstruction of justice,” they wrote.
In the absence of bringing charges against a president who has committed crimes, the only other option is to launch impeachment proceedings. That job lies with lawmakers who have so far been reluctant to pull the trigger.
But not only is there enough evidence to launch a formal impeachment inquiry, but a growing number of Americans and members of Congress are on board with it.
Even Republican Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan has abandoned Trump and made a strong case for why this president should be impeached.
All of that goes without mentioning that Trump has acted like a king in his refusal to cooperate with lawful congressional oversight by preventing key witnesses from testifying, failing to comply with subpoenas and refusing to hand over documents – lawless behavior that a formal impeachment inquiry could help mitigate.
Impeachment increasingly looks like the best tool Democrats have left – not only to fight the out-of-control Trump but to send a message to future presidents that this conduct will not be tolerated.
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Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
