Forwarding the Articles (My Letter to Speaker Pelosi)

[Laelth]

I read this morning that Speaker Pelosi was preparing to forward to the Senate the Articles of Impeachment approved by the Democratic House last year. In the following letter, I advise her not to do so. For your consideration:

January 11, 2020

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House of Representatives
1236 Longworth H.O.B.
Washington, D.C. 20515
202-225-4965

Re.: Forwarding Articles of Impeachment to the Senate

Dear Madam Speaker:

To date, the party’s principal argument for delaying the forwarding of impeachment articles to the Senate has been centered on our desire to have crucial witnesses testify in the Senate trial—testimony that the House could not obtain because of the unprecedented stonewalling of the House (Obstruction of Congress) by the present executive branch. I fully support your decision to delay the forwarding of Articles of Impeachment until we obtain some guarantee of a fair trial in the Senate. Because Congress has been obstructed by the executive branch, the House has every right to demand that previously-gagged witnesses be allowed (or compelled) to testify.

With some dismay, I read this morning that you are currently preparing to forward Articles of Impeachment to the Senate. Whether or not this is true, I do not know, but my purpose, here, is to offer a different strategy and a different rhetorical approach to the situation in which we find ourselves as Democrats. Personally, I want a fair trial of the President. If he has exculpatory evidence, I want him to bring it. The problem, as we both know, is that there is no exculpatory evidence. That is why Majority Leader McConnell seeks the appearance of no witnesses whatsoever in the President’s impeachment trial. McConnell wants a quick, whitewashed, sham-trial that is pre-ordained to exhonorate the President, and that is precisely what we will get if you choose to forward Articles of Impeachment to the Senate now.

Instead, I would ask you to consider delaying sending Articles of Impeachment to the Senate until we have a fair Senate. We want a fair trial, yes, but we can not get a fair trial in a prejudiced and decidedly unfair Senate. In order to avoid this injustice, you have the option of waiting until early 2021 or later, if you so choose, to forward Articles of Impeachment to the Senate. If, tragically, President Trump is re-elected in 2020, it is possible, if not likely, that Democrats will control the Senate in late January of 2021. If impeachment articles were forwarded to the Senate at that time, Democrats could then set rules that would allow for a fair trial. If, as we hope, Trump is defeated in November of 2020, the issue will be moot, but, by withholding the Articles, you will have denied Trump the exhonoration he so desperately seeks from the Republican-controlled Senate—an exhonoration that would set an abhorrent constitutional precedent.

In this sense, I am recommending that Democrats demand not only a fair trial, but also a fair Senate. The Senate Majority Leader and several other Republicans have already declared that they are not unbiased in this matter. They do not seek a fair trial and have already demonstrated that they do not intend to be fair. That fact gives you the necessary justification to withhold the Articles of Impeachment until such time as we have a fair Senate. We may not get that until 2021 or 2023. Nothing prevents you from withholding the Articles of Impeachment until that time. Forwarding the Articles now will almost certainly give the President the exhonoration he seeks. On the other hand, continuing to withhold them will deny the President exhonoration. It will also frustrate the President, and, in my opinion, better serve our collective goals—including protecting the integrity of the republic by avoiding a potentially-catastrophic precedent on a constitutional matter of the utmost import. You have proven yourself to be capable of taking considerable political “heat.” I advise you to do so now until such time as a fair trial in the Senate can be assured.

Thank you for your diligent service and for your kind attention to my humble opinion on this weighty topic.

Very truly yours,

I think she should wait. There is nothing to be gained from allowing the Senate to conduct a sham-trial that will set a dangerous precedent.

-Laelth

[kentuck]

1. Although it is up to the Senate to choose what type of trial they choose to have.

A sham trial?

Or a fair trial?

[Laelth]

2. Agreed.

That is why I advise Speaker Pelosi to withhold forwarding the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate until such time as we have a fair Senate and can insure a fair trial. That may be in 2021, or it may be as late as 2023. Either way, it is not in our best interests to allow the Republican-controlled Senate to conduct a sham impeachment trial now.

Thank you for the response.

-Laelth

[ArcticFox]

3. What I think

The House should begin public hearings in investigations of other impeachable offenses. Two Articles in light of this administration's misdeeds is just weak

[Laelth]

4. I agree with that too.

There's plenty more for which the President could and should be impeached--not the least of which is his recent authorization of an act of war without the consent of Congress. His obstruction of justice charges (10 of them) from the Meuller report could also be included. That said, nothing prevents the House from bringing these charges in the future, and nothing prevents he House from continuing to investigate the crimes of this rogue Presidency.

Thank you for the response.

-Laelth