Should the president be impeached?

Republicans and Democrats are once again at odds after a new scandal regarding Trump. The central allegation: in a phone call on July 25, President Donald Trump pressured Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, while withholding military aid approved by Congress. 

When questioned, Trump reassured the public that the call between the two leaders had been appropriate and “perfect” and largely focused on corruption in Ukraine. The President stated that there was no quid pro quo, or a favor expected in return for an action. He later released the transcript of the phone call in order to prove his innocence.  

The allegation was first brought to the attention of government officials when an intelligence official filed a whistleblower complaint. In this complaint, the official explained that they were very concerned about the actions by the President and his Attorney General and their business with the Ukrainian government. 

The whistleblower complaint, transcript and phone call were later released. These sources contradicted the President, revealing that Trump asked Zelensky to investigate Biden and his son eight times as he continuously talked about the aid the U.S. gave to Ukraine. It was later revealed to the public that Trump had been also holding back over 200 million dollars in aid to Ukraine at the time.  

After the call was over, it was later put on a private server for classified information.  

The actions of the President have upset government leaders and caused an uproar from the public. Officials argue said actions are an abuse of power on behalf of the President, as he has used White House officials and his political status in order to further his political gain. Not only this, but through working to discredit his political rival with the Ukrainian government, Trump would be attempting to influence an American election with the help of a foreign government, which is something he has been accused of before with Russia. 

The biggest question on everyone’s mind right now is clear: should Trump be impeached? Republicans and Democrats have opposing views. 

A majority of Republicans feel that Trump should not be impeached. Republicans have come to the aid of the President, arguing the call didn’t explicitly state any quid pro quo and just showed Trump’s passion for crushing corruption. On the other hand, a majority of Democrats argue that the President should be impeached for overstepping his presidential powers. 

Republicans and Democrats also have different opinions of how an impeachment inquiry should be approved. Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders have decided to hold off a full House vote for an impeachment inquiry, much to the dismay of Republicans. Democrats support impeachment but many argue that a full House vote is not mandatory, and therefore an impeachment inquiry can be approved without one. Many people in this party have also argued that a full House vote could confuse the public and distract from the overall agenda of the party. Democrats from swing districts are mostly against the vote, as well as the Intelligence Committee Chairman, Judiciary Committee Chairman, and the House Majority Whip. Other Democrats are in support of a full House vote in order to silence Republican criticism.  

Currently, Democrats are interviewing witnesses in private to gather more evidence that a crime was committed, which will decide if an impeachment inquiry should be formalized. 

The Republican party feels that their thoughts and opinions are not being taken into account when it comes to the decision of impeaching the President. On October 23, Republicans interrupted the testimony of a Pentagon official on Capitol Hill in order to show their disapproval of the Democrats’ approach. The intrusion delayed the testimony five hours. The party has complained that without a full House vote, an impeachment inquiry would be invalid because a vote has always been done in the past. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has said Republicans will not cooperate without the vote. 

The President should be impeached. President Trump very obviously used his status to further his own agenda and attempted to pressure a foreign country into interfering in an American election. Not only is his attempt to blackmail Ukraine into issuing an investigation on his political rival unethical, but it is illegal. His behavior and disregard for the Constitution is evident in his actions, and by law the punishment for the actions taken are impeachment. 

The President is not above the law, and should face consequences as any other person should. The argument of whether or not the President’s actions are worthy of impeachment are irrelevant. Government officials and civilians alike understand that they very much are. Any argument against impeachment is made out of obligation, not real concern for the benefit of the country. The President of the United States stands as a symbol of liberty, freedom and justice. Abiding by law is especially important for the President, as their job is to lead the country by example. Truthfully, right-wing defenders of Trump are not defending their country.  

They defend themselves and the man who gave them power. Ignorance is not love for your country.