Photo By Creative Commons: The House of Representatives is moving forward with the impeachment attempt of President Donald Trump after a resolution to urge Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment was blocked by Rep, Alex Mooney, R-W. Va., on Monday.
Column By Mike Bibb
Never at a loss to act foolish, U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), recently commented another impeachment of President Trump would end forever his ambitions for a second term – now, and in the future.
As usual, Nancy is half correct.
I’m not certain if she suffers short-term-memory-loss or is simply delusional, but she seems to have forgotten that just because the House of Representatives may impeach the president does not automatically mean he’s suddenly unemployed.
An impeachment is sort of an indictment where accusations of wrongdoing are alleged. The Articles of Impeachment are then passed to the U.S. Senate for examination and trial. If two-thirds of Senate members concur the president has committed a crime, only then can he be removed from office (U.S. Constitution, Art. 1, Sec. 3).
The Democrats tried a similar tactic against Trump about a year ago, but it didn’t work. Nevertheless, their maniacal hatred of the man has warped their brains into becoming incapable of human reasoning and productive thought. They have a single ambition – get Trump out of office and do whatever necessary to do it. Even if it places the country in jeopardy.
There have been three previous impeachment attempts of U.S. presidents and none have been convicted and booted out. President Richard Nixon resigned before the impeachment process was completed. If the House and Pelosi impeach Trump again – as they are insisting they will do – it will be the only time a sitting president has been impeached twice.
Technically, the House could impeach the president every week for some reason, but obtaining a Senate conviction is a totally different matter.
However, if Trump is found guilty and removed, he can never again “hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States” (Art. 1, Sec. 3). This means he would be ineligible for a 2024 run for the White House. Perhaps, this is what Nancy was referring to when she remarked Trump could never be president again. She just forgot to mention he has to be convicted first.
Like any citizen trial in the United States, Trump must be declared guilty before being punished. In this case, removal from office. Obviously, not an easy task to accomplish. He may be the president, but he still has every constitutional right everyone else does.
As a sort of end-run around this requirement, Democrats are also discussing the possibility of attempting Trump’s banishment by using provisions within the 25th Amendment. A constitutional provision requiring the removal of a president if “principal officers of the executive departments” determine him to be disabled or incapable of performing the responsibilities of his office. In such a case, the Vice President becomes the “Acting President.”
The 25th Amendment was adopted in Feb. 1967 in response to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963, and a major heart attack by the previous president, Dwight Eisenhower.
Talk of this tactic began a few months ago when discussions of the possibility of Kamala Harris ascending to the presidency to replace a physically and mentally ailing Joe Biden should become necessary. Of course, it was only speculation Joe and Kamala would actually be elected.
A Washington riot – blamed on Trump – was not seriously discussed as a 25th Amendment excuse for removing Trump because it hadn’t happened yet. With less than a month left in a presidential term, the usual procedure is to permit it to lawfully expire on its own.
This tradition abruptly changed on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump had lost the 2020 election, and a riot did happen. As a result, Trump was accused of inciting insurrection and other allegations; sufficient reason to send Democrats into hysterical fits, insisting President Trump must immediately be removed.
As of this writing, there are only nine days remaining in Trump’s presidency.
After more than four years of nonstop badgering, “Impeach 45!” rants, and a series of unprovable accusations, it appears the Dems have accumulated enough authority to finally secure their vendetta and run Trump out of town.
Swamp politics, and all its disgusting intrigues, may be dominating today, but the sun rises tomorrow to cast new light on a shady episode in American government.
