Prospect.org – Donald Trump is wildly unfit to be president. He will repeatedly demonstrate that, in ways that break the law and violate the Constitution.
Since the election, there have been three wishful efforts to keep Trump from the presidency: a recount doomed by a lack of evidence, a futile campaign to flip Trump electors, and an even more improbable drive to get the Supreme Court to annul the 2016 election.
These moves, indicative of magical thinking, make Trump’s opposition look a lot weaker than it is—at a time when the stakes for the Republic could not be higher. There will also be marches and demonstrations, but they will also look weak unless they have a strategic focus.
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There is only one constitutional way to remove a president, and that is via impeachment. What’s needed is a citizens’ impeachment inquiry, to begin on Trump’s first day in office.
There will be plenty to track. The inquiry should keep a running dossier, and forward updates at least weekly to the House Judiciary Committee.
The materials should be made public via a website. The inquiry should be conducted by a distinguished panel whose high-mindedness and credentials are, well, unimpeachable.
There needs to be a parallel public campaign, pressing for an official investigation. For those appalled by Trump who wonder where to focus their efforts, here is something concrete—and more realistic than it may seem.
Trump has already committed grave misdeeds of the kind that the constitutional founders described as high crimes and misdemeanors. With his commingling of his official duties and his personal enrichment, Trump will be in violation of the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution, which unambiguously prohibits any person holding public office from profiting from gifts or financial benefits from “any king, prince or Foreign state.”
Trump, who has entangled his business interests with his political connections at home and abroad, has already declared his contempt for these constitutional protections. He declared, “The law is totally on my side, meaning the president can’t have a conflict of interest.” Oh, yes he can, and this president will.
In his dalliance with Vladimir Putin, Trump’s actions are skirting treason. John Shattuck, former assistant secretary of state for human rights and former Washington legal director of the ACLU has pointed to the constitutional definition of treason: a crime committed by a person …
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#ImpeachTrump #DumpTrump
