Common Cause Calls For Impeachment

Last Friday the nation-wide non-partisan organization, Common Cause, called for impeaching President Trump. In a letter to every member of congress Karen Hobert Flynn, the president of Common Cause, reviewed the organization’s reasons as “The President and his Administration’s abuse of power, subversion of the rule of law, solicitation of a bribe, campaign finance violations, and obstruction of justice by ignoring subpoenas, undermining congressional investigations, threatening witnesses, and refusing document requests leave Congress no choice but to impeach and convict him.”

Flynn then lists the articles of impeachment recommended by Common Cause, the first four of which are related to Trump’s withholding of hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid which Ukraine needed to defend itself from Russian aggression. The impeachable offenses tied the Ukraine scandal are abuse of power, the solicitation of a bribe, campaign finance violations, and obstruction of justice in the President’s effort to thwart the House Impeachment Inquiry of the Ukraine matter.

Common Cause also recommends Articles of Impeachment for abuse of power and obstruction of justice related to the Russia investigation, and abuse of power for failure to adequately safeguard U.S. elections from foreign interference. Additional Articles of Impeachment are also recommended for campaign finance violations related to “hush money” payments, and violations of the foreign and domestic emoluments clauses of the U.S. Constitution.

All of the recommended Articles of Impeachment as well as a review of Senate rules for an impeachment trial and the additional procedures developed for the Clinton impeachment are described in detail in the 60 page report delivered to every member of congress with the letter on Friday. Common Cause has made the full report available for free at the commoncause.org website.

“Abuse of power,” is not defined in the Constitution or criminal statutes, yet it is most assuredly an impeachable high crime and misdemeanor.  Constitutional law scholar Noah Feldman has explained, “Abuse of power is anything the president does that he can only do by virtue of being president that threatens the basic freedoms and capacities of other people.” One of the three Articles of Impeachment against President Richard Nixon was for abuse of power as was one of the four against President Bill Clinton.

President Trump’s withholding of military aid to Ukraine’s government was both the carrot and stick used to force an investigation by Ukraine’s government into Trump’s 2020 electoral opponent Joe Biden was an abuse of the power of the presidency. In addition those same acts can fairly be described as bribery and/or extortion, attempting to secure Ukraine government assistance for his 2020 reelection campaign in exchange for nearly $400 million of U.S. taxpayer money and a visit to the White House.

Article II of the U.S. Constitution provides that the president “shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”

President Trump asked President Zelensky for something of personal political value to Trump that being an investigation of his 2020 electoral opponent Joe Biden in exchange for an official act which was release of military aid to Ukraine. Arguments that President Trump eventually released the Ukraine military aid without assurances of an investigation into Joe Biden and, therefore, did nothing wrong are irrelevant. Under the federal criminal code, a bribe need not be exchanged in order for the law to be violated. It is illegal for a public official to “demand” or “seek” a bribe.

There’s more where this came from, read the report for yourself then call Representative Vicente Gonzalez and urge him to call for impeachment on all nine articles in this report.