I’d like to ask for the help of readers here.
I’m working on a piece that is premised on the idea that the reasons Trump simply MUST be impeached go well beyond what’s in the Mueller Report. The American people need to be shown, in an impeachment process, is that — beyond any single “high crime” or “misdemeanor” — Trump’s conduct shows a clear pattern of utter contempt for the law and for the Constitution.
(Contempt also, for that matter, for anything — including for American political norms, and certainly for the truth — that would constrain him in his insistence on doing what he wants to do and getting what he wants to get).
The reason it seems important to emphasize the overall pattern of lawlessness, and not only particular offenses, is that it makes the impeachment not just a matter of punishing past misconduct but moreso a matter of protecting the nation from someone whose disrespect for the rule of law makes him an ongoing threat to the nation.
Here are the examples I’ve come up with in my effort to show the comprehensive picture of Trump’s contempt for the Constitution and the law:
- the obstruction of justice described in the Mueller Report
- the violations of the Emoluments Clause
- the abuse of the President’s Pardon Power
- the usurpation of the Congress’s power to decide what will be spent for which purpose
- the usurpation of the Congress’s power over tariffs
- the overriding of the security professionals of their denial of security clearances for Trump family (and other questionable associates) thought to pose a risk to American national security (I’m wondering if this qualifies for inclusion on this list.)
- the defiance across-the-board of congressional subpoenas, and general denial of Congress’s constitutional authority and responsibility to conduct oversight of the executive branch
- the specific violation of the clear legal obligation of the executive branch to turn over any tax return requested by the congressional authorities designated in clear black-letter law
- the violation of the federal laws regarding asylum seekers
What with the almost daily display of contempt for all that constrains an American President, and the continual unspooling of scandals one after another, I feel pretty sure this list must be incomplete.
I’d be grateful for help in fleshing out further this picture of Trump’s apparently complete lack of respect for any legal and constitutional constraints on his powers.