No One Asked Me But… (February 5, 2020)

By DR. LARRY MOSES

No one asked me but… With the American people looking on, the Democrat leadership has attempted to remove the duly elected President of the United States. For the moment, this attempted coup has apparently failed.

The Democrats’ real motivation behind the attempt to impeach the President is not a removal for the last nine months of his term of office. Rather it is a blatant attempt to keep him from seeking a second term. Failing to present a candidate that is palatable to the less socialist middle-of-the-road American, the Democrats have resorted to an attempt to cripple the Republican Party by removing the incumbent of the office of the Presidency from the 2020 election.

By convicting President Trump, they would not only overthrow a duly elected President, but more importantly they would disqualified him from the 2020 Presidential election. Article 7: Section 3, Paragraph 7 of the Constitution states: “Judgement in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States….”

I along with many other moderates are repulsed by the personal attacks that are characteristic of the current President. It would do the President well if he were to heed the words of Eric Hoffer: “Rudeness is a weak man’s imitation of strength.”

However, we moderates are equally repulsed by the extreme leftist, i.e. socialists, who would take over the country if any of the present Democrat candidates were to be elected President.

Do not be fooled, the impeachment has nothing to do with Russian interference in the election of 2016. Indeed, if it did, the House of Representatives would demand an investigation into the many donations from foreign interest that were laundered through the Clinton Foundation ending up financially supporting Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign.

Much to the Democrats’ dismay, the Mueller Report exonerated the President of any collusion with the Russians. The Democrats will tell you that Mueller did not exonerate the President and will play you the sound bite where he makes that statement. They will not play you the total sound bite that will explain that this statement was not related to Russian collusion. Mueller stated he did not exonerate the President of the charges of obstruction of justice. He further stated that he was not tasked to determine this issue.

Is President Trump the first and only President to ever be accused of seeking foreign aid in his election? Not really! In the article on page 15 of the U.S. News and World Report, dated March 16, 1998, William Clinton was accused of seeking and acquiring foreign aid in his 1996 election. Here is the quote:

“ …an old Clinton scandal flared up last week when the Justice Department charged businessman and Democratic donor Johnny Chung with violations related to the 1996 campaign finance scandal. Chung’s attorneys say he will plead guilty, CNN reports that he has agreed to testify the he had funneled money from state-controlled businesses in China to the Democratic National Committee. Over the course of the 1996 election, Chung donated a total of $366,000 to the Democrats observing that the White House was like a subway: ‘You have to put in the coins to open the gates.’…in March of 1995 Chung had received $150,000 just three days before making a $50,000 contribution to the DNC. … Virtually every company in China is state owned …the Justice Department turned up no evidence that Chung dealt with front groups. But the Justice Department will want to answer this question: Were Chung’s associates government agents or just businessmen eager to open the subway gates.”

One must wonder how many foreign donations to the Clinton Foundation were used to fund Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2016. One might suspect that these foreign donations were politically motivated when one observes these donations dried up when her failed campaign came to an end.

No one asked me but… It is amazing how whose “ox is getting gored” determines how a politician feels about an issue. While the issues are quite clear as to what the Democrats wish to impeach the President on, they seem to believe that they need to have others repeat those charges. As if one has not heard enough of Adam Schiff and his cohorts repeat the same accusations over and over again, they want additional people to come before the Senate to repeat the same charges.

The Democrat House representatives wished to have the Republican Senate call additional witnesses to bolster the case that they say they had proven beyond a doubt. They claim they had presented an indisputable case, but now want the Senate to finish their investigation for them. They continually cry that there can be no real trial without further investigation done by the Senate.

I am not a lawyer, but I don’t believe any court of the land requires the jury, i.e. the Senate, to call witness or investigate the alleged crime. I believe that is the role of the prosecution, i.e. the House of Representatives. I may be mistaken but I believe that a jury member who does such a thing can be removed from the jury and face criminal charges.

Instead of taking my word for it, let us turn to then-Senator Joe Biden who waded in on the issue of the need for the Senate to call for additional witness during the 1999 Clinton impeachment. At that time Biden argued strongly against the need for the Senate to depose additional witnesses or seek new evidence.

In January, 1999, Senator Biden circulated a document entitled “Arguments in Support of a Summary Impeachment Trial.” Biden, citing historical precedents, asserted “In a number of previous impeachment trials, the Senate has reached the judgment that its constitutional role as a sole trier of impeachments does not require it to take new evidence or hear live witness testimony.”

Biden’s comments from 1999, are at odds with current Democratic talking points that additional witnesses must be called to have a fair trial. To be fair to the Democrats, it should be noted that the Republicans, who now oppose witnesses in Trump’s trial, argued strongly for them in Clinton’s.

In 1999, Biden also said senators should take into account the impact drawing out the impeachment proceedings would have on the country. That would be great advice for the Democrats of today.

Thought of the week… A hypocrite is the kind of politician who would cut down a redwood tree, then mount the stump and make a speech for conservation.
– Adlai Stevenson