It Ain't Over Til It's Over

And this will never be over.

(The Scream by Edvard Munch)

Some reflections on the Impeachment Show.

Here are some brief thoughts on the Impeachment Trial itself along with what it tells us about the Democrats.

1.  To those who keep asserting that if there is some personal motive or gain then that makes an otherwise legal/unimpeachable act illegal/impeachable: My guess is that every official act/vote by the senators is done in part for personal gain or other personal motive (most likely for better re-election chances).  The actions of senators may be done for other reasons as well (to further policy they believe in & on which they campaigned for example) and the acts then are constitutional but to follow the reasoning of the Schiff crew, the fact that a senator might also place him/herself in a better position for an upcoming election would make the acts impeachable.  Essentially, to follow their logic, the entire Congress, both chambers, should all be impeached.

2.  Does no one understand how our system of justice works?  In a trial the prosecution or plaintiff brings a complaint.  If that complaint is insufficient, the case will be dismissed.  If after discovery (investigations, depositions of witnesses, etc.) the case is still insufficient to state a claim, then it will be dismissed.  During the period of discovery, some subpoenas as well as other discovery requests and even specific questions may be challenged and decisions on those challenges may be appealed.    Asserting one’s right to question the legitimacy of a discovery request is not an obstruction against the body that made the request. It is not some sort of cover-up.

Justice requires time and patience; its goal is to get it right, not to meet some deadline favorable to an upcoming election.

It is not the duty of the deciding body to find the witnesses and do the investigation.   Some trials will be decided on the pleadings and discovery alone.  Contrary to Ms. Pelosi, witnesses are not required at the trial for it to be a “real” trial.  When a case reaches its conclusion, with or without witnesses, if there is a decision that the defendant is acquitted, then that is a valid decision.

In this case, the House did its investigation, called its witnesses, etc. and determined they had an “overwhelming case” for impeachment.  They brought that to the Senate where, for the first time, the President was able to present his position.  It became clear that the House did not have even an arguable case.  It further became clear that new witnesses, while they might dislike the President and have negative things to say about him or his policies, had no relevant information about the charges brought to the Senate by the House.  Their testimony would be nothing more than a waste of time.  This is not some sort of cover-up, much as the Democrats would like it to be, but is simply an appropriate decision about their case.

3.  It ain’t over til it’s over, and this will never be over.   The Democrats will refuse to accept the acquittal just as they refused to accept the very through investigation and conclusions of the Mueller report, just as they refused to acknowledge evidence that disproved their 11^th hour me-too assault on Justice Kavanaugh, just as they have refused, since November of 2016, to accept Donald J. Trump as the duly elected and legitimate President of the United States of America.  They have yet to understand that their hatred of President Trump does not make him illegitimate, just as it does not make his policies with which they disagree illegal or his manner and leadership style in effectuating those policies unconstitutional.   

Yet, it is clear from the Democrats and their supportive media that they will continue to dig and dig for dirt that will give them the opportunity to try once again to remove the people’s choice from office.  They would rather do that than the business that they were elected to conduct.

4.  In the end, it’s the People’s decision.  You cannot impeach a President just because you don’t like him and you fear that he will continue to act in a manner you don’t like.  The way to fix that is to present an alternate candidate at the next election and let the People decide.  The Democrats seem to think that they know better than the voters who should be president and they are willing to usurp the People’s voice in order to install their choice into the Oval Office.  That is simply un-American.  It is indeed a coup attempt. 

5.  For this country to work, we must both understand and respect our Constitution and our laws.   As a lawyer I have been and continue to be appalled by the Democrats’ continuing disregard for our Constitution, our legal system, and this country’s core principles of justice.  They, of course, are doing it for very political reasons, all of which extend from their desire for power.  But even more appalling is that so many are willing to accept their distortions about our core principles and values, to accept their contempt for our Constitution and system of justice.  In part I blame this on a lack of education about these things; that, combined with a mainstream media that presents and supports the Democrat agenda rather than objective facts places our democracy in a precarious position indeed. 

I can only hope that as the dust from this ridiculous impeachment settles that the People will begin to realize what a farce it really was.  I can only hope that the People will begin to demand that their representatives begin doing their business rather than continuing to pursue their jihad of hate against the President as they seek to grab for themselves what is the People’s power.

Articles of Impeachment – Some Initial Thoughts

So the Democrats have drafted their Articles of Impeachment, charging the President with Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Justice.  They continue, like children, to act out their anger and hatred of the President.  Indeed, other than their hatred of the President with which they twist facts and their own impressions to create evidence of their complaints, the Democrats have little support for such charges.

Let us, however, consider where these charges should really lie.  There is far more evidence against the Democrats.

Here are just some of the Democrats’ Abuses of Power:

• Charging someone with a crime without evidence and only for political gain.
• The Democrats now admit that their impeachment of the President is a political move.
• The Democrats have had the charge of impeachment on the table since Jan. 2017; they have simply been searching for a crime and still do not have the evidence, but do have the need to impeach to try to keep the President from being reelected (many have stated that if they do not impeach him, Donald Trump will be re-elected).

• They are ignoring and violating laws, rules, and the Constitution.

• They deny due process to the President during their impeachment “investigations.”
• For example, Adam Schiff hides evidence, denies Republicans the ability to call witnesses,  and subpoenas the phone records of his Republican opponents without any reasonable reason for doing so.

• The Inspector General report released yesterday tells us that Adam Schiff’s  2018 memo vilifying Republican Devin Nunes and others and defending the Steele dossier and FBI tactics (and adored by media) was riddled with lies and false statements.

• Refusal, since the 2016 election results were declared, to accept the will of the people and abide by their electoral decision. Refusal to do their sworn Constitutional duty and respect and support that decision along with the executive branch of government and the office of president.

• This is a show trial to destroy an opponent, nothing more.

And, some examples of the Democrats’ Obstruction of Justice:

• Again, refusal to allow witnesses and minority presentations at their impeachment “investigations.”

• Meeting with the “whistle blower” before he came forward in an attempt to use him to create a case against the President, then refusing to call the whistle-blower as a witness, falsely stating that to do so would violate laws, and then stating that he and his testimony are not relevant (to a charge based upon allegations by the whistle-blower!)

• Repeatedly leaking various and often misleading information to the press in an attempt to sway public opinion in their favor and against the President.

• Refusal of Adam Schiff to testify or to release full transcripts of his secret “witness” interviews regarding impeachment.

• Adam Schiff’s reading and entry into the House record of a fake transcript of the Ukraine phone call.

• The many FISA abuses outlined in the just released Inspector General report, all attempts to create a crime where one did not exist so as to be able to charge and convict the President.

• The rush to impeachment itself – denying the ability to have full investigations in what is a serious matter for the country.

• This is not justice but another act in the continuing endeavor to effect a coup and overturn the results of an election.

The above lists only begin to scratch the surface of the abuses by the Democrats.

This is now all out war.  The blood thirsty Democrats move in for the kill – not only of the man they hate but also, with him, of America as we know it. It is not Constructional. This is not right.  It is not fair.  It is not justice.      

The Democrats are playing a dangerous game.  A game that can easily destroy America.

I don’t know if Democrats really believe their press statements.  I can’t believe that any rational person would.  I don’t know if they are simply overcome with hatred as it seems, so that their sole obsession is to remove a man they hate simply because he bested them in 2016, giving the country and the people who elected him policies that are making America strong in so many ways, accomplishing so much that Democrats have promised for years but been unable to deliver.  I don’t know if it is simply about power and their insatiable thirst for it.  I don’t know if they really hate America and its greatness.  I just don’t know what or why they are doing this.  But what I do know is that they must be stopped.

This is no longer about Donald Trump.  It is about our country and whether or not we want it to continue to survive along with its Constitutional values and protections that have given greatness not only to the people of America but as a shining example to the world. 

Presidents come and go.  We the people see to that via our voices in the election booths.  But our principles, our laws, our Constitution, our values all remain.  Allowing the Democrats to subvert that system for their own hate and power subverts our entire system and moves us far closer to a form of dictatorship than democracy. 

The Impeachment Show is a selfish presentation by selfish people who think they are better than the rest of us and therefore should be given the power to decide for us whom we should have elected.  I stand firmly against that view and I hope that others do the same.