TRUMP AND THE

TRUMP AND THE GIANT IMPEACH

JORDAN RITCHIE // EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

On July 25, 2019, President Donald Trump held a phone call with the Ukranian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, and some are calling the conversation treason. Because of what went down during this call and the emergence of the controversial whistleblower complaint, Trump is facing the possibility of impeachment. If this inquiry is in his favor, he will continue to serve as our president for the remainder of his term and maybe even longer. However, if Trump is impeached and convicted, he will go down in history as the first American president to be forced out of office. This impeachment is of utmost severity for Trump, as he is facing the possibility of being stripped of his presidency. But what does this impeachment mean for our country? I’ve learned that in politics, everything is vague; words are so empty they’re meaningless, or if not, are so full of garbage that their true meaning is buried. So before we get into allegations and collusion, let’s get some facts straight. Impeachment is a charge of misconduct made against a public officer. A whistleblower is someone who exposes secretive information or activity that is deemed illegal or unethical within an organization. On August 12, 2019, the famed whistleblower complaint was filed, accusing Trump of collusion–in Layman’s terms, a secret agreement or conspiracy for illegal or deceitful purposes. So what went down during this phone call that has people throwing around words like “treason” and “impeachment”? According to multiple White House officials present during the phone call, President Trump sought to “advance his personal interests”. He attempted to coerce President Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, and in order to confirm the allegations of Ukraine being the source of interference in the 2016 presidential election in support of the Democrats–not Russia. At first glance, this may just seem like presidential peer pressure, but it’s much more complex than that. Also, allegations against Joe and Hunter Biden claimed that they engaged in illegal activity in the Ukraine, while the latter was working for an energy company, Burisma, that was the object of suspicion for corruption. Whether or not Joe Biden

and his son are committing crimes is not the point. If the whistleblower’s claims hold legitimacy; Donald Trump is using his presidential resources to promote his own personal agenda. Not only is Joe Biden the former Vice President, but he is also running for President in 2020. A successful investigation would knock Biden out of the running. Trump’s demands of President Zelensky would assist in increasing his own chances of reelection next year! Yes, this is morally wrong, but what about this is illegal? After Trump publicly suggested that China should investigate the Bidens, the head of the Federal Election Commission reminded him that it’s illegal for anyone to “solicit, accept, or receive anything of value from a foreign national connection with a U.S. election” Therefore, Trump asking foreign countries to investigate the Bidens, which could help with his own reelection, is illegal. So far, the whistleblower has remained completely anonymous, but we do know that he or she is a C.I.A. officer. The whistleblower has the legal right to anonymity, but Trump is determined to unmask him. During an Oval Office press conference, President Trump said, “The country has to find out who this person was, because that person’s a spy, in my opinion.” But spy or not, this person is

clearly determined to see Trump out of the picture. But even if sufficient evidence of Trump’s wrongdoings is found, does that guarantee his impeachment and removal from office?

First of all, if evidence is found, the House of Representatives–currently controlled by the Democrats–will vote to impeach Trump, and if majority rules, yes, he will be impeached. But after this, the Senate–controlled by the Republicans–will hold a trial and vote whether or not to convict Trump, therefore removing him from office. However, considering that Trump is a member of the Republican party and the predominantly-Republican Senate has the say in whether or not Trump stays or goes, signs point to no.

But is impeachment the best idea? Those who support the impeachment of Trump, obviously hope for a removal of office to follow. But what will that do? Trump will be out of office and his reputation ruined. Even if he does have the fortitude to run again–the Constitution doesn’t say that an impeached and convicted President can’t–his reputation will be so tainted, I doubt he’d get many votes. There’s a large chance he’d never set foot in office again. However, opposers of President Trump seem to forget one crucial person: Vice President Mike Pence, who holds a similar agenda and many of the same beliefs as Trump, who would promptly take over as our new president… unless Pence is dragged down with Trump, like many speculate. But that opens up a whole new discussion for another day.

Now, as a young person, I’m not quite sure I know how this will, or even should turn out. I am growing up in an age in which I turn on the news and hear more bad than good. The government is full of more corruption than consideration, and that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. If anything, this impeachment is a sign that people are unhappy with our government, enough so that they are willing to force a change. Can we trust that the American people will make the right change? Or if no change is made, can we trust our own country to have the ability to thrive on its own? But with all this talk of corruption and impeachment, I’m realizing that these are not the questions we should be asking. We should not be asking, “Should Trump be impeached?” or, “What’s the proper way to run our country?”.

The question we should be asking is, “What are we doing so wrong that we doubt our ability to trust our own people?”