Impeached: Now a Part of Trump’s Legacy

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/19/opinion/letters/impeachment-trump.html

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To the Editor:

Re “Trump Impeached” (front page, Dec. 19):

One hundred years from now when schoolchildren read about American history, they will see that Donald J. Trump was the third president of the United States to be impeached.

There will be no Doug Collins or Jim Jordan or Matt Gaetz or Lindsey Graham or Rudy Giuliani or Kellyanne Conway or Sean Hannity to shout, wave their arms, obfuscate and try to spin that cold hard fact.

When the time comes that Donald Trump is but a name on a page, his defiled legacy will be part of his identity for all time.

As his frantic spinmeisters search in vain to explain his richly deserved impeachment away, may I offer them some advice from one of their own: In the immortal words of Mick Mulvaney, acting White House chief of staff, “Get over it.”

Greg JosephSun City, Ariz.

To the Editor:

Can’t stop kissing your front page.

Ursula KugelmanDeerfield Beach, Fla.

To the Editor:

The president was charged with “abuse of power” and “obstruction of Congress.” Funny, these charges could have been leveled against any president who arm-twisted foreign leaders for favors, or who legally defied Congress’s requests for documents or witnesses by citing executive privilege.

What we have here is the final temper tantrum by Democrats in response to losing the presidential election of 2016. Voters in the middle of our fractured political spectrum are coming around to that. Just wait until 2020. Voters will not be silenced by the House of Representatives.

Tom O’HareCharlestown, R.I.

To the Editor:

During the debate over articles of impeachment in the House, many Republican members referred to President Trump as a “duly elected president.” What they failed to acknowledge is that the articles of impeachment were designed, in part, to hold this duly elected president accountable and prevent, or at least restrain, blatant interference by foreign nations in the upcoming election of the next president.

If we do not fight against the willingness, indeed eagerness, of the Trump campaign to enlist the help of foreign agents to assist in his re-election, the phrase “duly elected” may become discredited. That is what this impeachment process is fundamentally about — protecting the integrity of our election process.

Janis RichterRochelle, Va.

To the Editor:

Donald Trump now styles himself as the champion of due process for future presidents, again likening his impeachment to the Salem witch trials in a letter to Congress this week.

So where was he on the due process issue in the case of the Central Park Five, accused of beating and raping a young white woman in New York in 1989? Oh yes, I remember. He took out a full-page ad in The New York Times and three other papers calling for the execution of the boys, ages 14 to 16 — before their trial. They were completely exonerated 17 years ago after the real attacker, already in prison for something else, confessed and was tied to the crime scene by DNA and other physical evidence. In June of this year, Donald Trump still refused to acknowledge their innocence, much less apologize for calling publicly for their executions.

Republicans, I present you your hero of due process.

Stephen BenkoSouthport, Conn.

To the Editor:

There is a lesson from apartheid South Africa that is relevant to the impeachment trial and why it must be taken seriously. My father, the late Jules Browde, was the chairman of Lawyers for Human Rights during that draconian rule. He said: “There are some cases you fight because you know you can win. There are others you fight because it is the right thing to do.”

Apartheid came to an end, and I believe that this era of blatant corruption by this president and his protectors will, too.

Paul BrowdeNew York

To the Editor:

I wish the Democrats would be honest and state that they impeached President Trump solely because they can and have been wanting to do so ever since he won the election. They are dishonest in stating that they are sad about it and that this is about constitutional integrity. They did it just because they could, even though they know full well that the evidence and testimony are not compelling enough to win a conviction in the Senate.

In fact, Nancy Pelosi’s statement that she might delay sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate demonstrates that it was all about politics as opposed to the integrity of the process. The House Democrats must expedite sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate and accept the constitutional checks and balances on their own power that they imposed on Mr. Trump. Failure to do so jeopardizes our Constitution more than what Mr. Trump ever did.

James S. KennedySmyrna, Tenn.

To the Editor:

Gail Collins’s Dec. 19 column, “Impeachment May Drive Trump Batty,” injected some much needed light humor into the polarized and deeply contentious process of impeachment. It also inspired a question: What can Chief Justice John Roberts do to ensure due process and faithful interpretation of the Constitution in the impeachment trial?

It would seem that he should have the power and the responsibility to insist on subpoenas being served and enforced to important witnesses that the White House and Mitch McConnell have thus far refused to allow. All pertinent witnesses and all elucidating avenues must be pursued so that the full facts will emerge and justice will indeed be done.

Marjorie L. SpaethPhiladelphia

To the Editor:

I spent too much time on Wednesday listening to Republicans compare the impeachment hearing to the crucifixion of Christ. I offer this insight from “Monty Python’s Life of Brian”: “He’s not the Messiah. He’s a very naughty boy. Now go away!”

Stephen LandersStratford, Ontario