President Trump Impeachment Inquiry Continues Through the Fall

Tom Angell, Staff Writer

President Trump is under critical scrutiny these past few months and it has all led to an impeachment inquiry. The issue on the table is whether there was an alleged quid pro quo with Ukraine. Trump is accused of withholding military aid and avoiding holding an important meeting with Ukraine’s President Zelenski until the Biden’s were investigated for supposed illegitimate business dealings.

This all led to explosive impeachment hearings earlier last month. It was truly captivating daytime television as the dealings of our nation were happening in front of our eyes.

If you watched much of the shocking testimonies before Thanksgiving, you probably came to the conclusion that Trump is certainly on his way to an impeachment trial and there is a very real chance he may be removed from office.

Assuming impeachment does take place, he would be the third sitting president to go through this process. The first being Andrew Johnson and the second being Bill Clinton, both were not removed from office. Richard Nixon would have been removed from office if he hadn’t resigned before impeachment really went through.

However, you also may have watched these testimonies and came to a different conclusion. You maybe under the impression that head of the impeachment inquiry and Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff is pulling at straws and running with a hoax. With how polarized our world is, these two conclusions are not too far out there. Actually, these two conclusions represent the headlines of Fox News and MSNBC the day of the Ambassador Sondland hearing.

It is not as black and white as many believe though. Buying into the rushed judgment that the mainstream media pushed is just as toxic as believing the whole endeavor is a hoax.

Much of what Sondland later said after his famed opening statement is based on hearsay and presumption. Although that does not exonerate Trump in the slightest, it should give some pause to people who think that this inquiry is black and white.

Republicans such as Ohio representative Jim Jordan dug in and fired back to try to discredit ambassador Sondland which only shows how difficult of a fight this is going to be for the democrats.

One reason for not buying into the narrative fully that there for sure was quid pro quo was the fact that many key players have still not testified. These players include secretary of state Mike Pompeo and chief of staff Mike Mulvaney, just to name a couple. These key players are expected to dig in on the side of Trump, but their testimonies may be the missing puzzle piece in this whole inquiry.

Many are pointing to their silence being something that is potentially harmful. It also appears that Adam Schiff himself may be due up to testify. If he is as serious on pursuing these allegations as he seems, his testimony revealing much of what is in his report will be important.

The idea that the same event can inspire such different opinions is all part of the problem. The echo chambers that we all live in only go to reiterate whether you believe the impeachment hearing is a hoax or history. Democracy can only thrive with a citizenry who does not stay satisfied with reading the news and assuming everything is fair and equal.

It takes a population that is actively informed who looks at both sides of an issue to help keep democracy vibrant. How much Americans pay close attention to this impeachment inquiry could be telling to how much Americans care about the 2020 election.

Speaking of the 2020 election, if the impeachment inquiry reaches a senate trial, senate Democrats running for president such as Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders would likely be stuck in Washington being jurors in a senate trial while the important Iowa caucus is taking place.              This is without precedent, as it is something that has never happened in our nation’s history. Although not relevant to the specific storyline of impeachment, it is something historic to look for anyways.

Overall, what we know is that there is a possibility our relationship with Ukraine was put in jeopardy due to political concerns. This is not a cut and dry issue, as nothing ever is in Washington. Jumping to conclusions too early is not beneficial to anyone and only hurts the process. There are many more testimonies to hear and articles of impeachment to draw up in the house of representatives.

Assuming it goes to the House which it’ll pass, it will then have to go to the Senate, which is controlled by the Republicans. Needing two thirds votes in the Senate, it would take a very clear argument that even Republicans can get on board with to remove Trump from office. Although much can be said of the alleged wrongdoing of President Trump, Democrats have an uphill battle on their hands if they are to try and remove the President from office.