Moorestown Resident Breaks Down Impeachment Inquiry As A Trial

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Public hearings begin on Wednesday in the House of Representatives’ impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump. The inquiry centers around whether Trump used the power of his presidency to solicit a foreign government to influence the 2020 U.S. election.

Specifically, he is accused of asking Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky in a July 25 phone call to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, now running for president, while withholding nearly $400 million in military aid approved by Congress.

Moorestown resident Kristine Piccola has broken down the impeachment proceedings, showing how it amounts to an arrest and trial for the President of the United States. Her letter to the editor can be found below.

See related: Trump Impeachment Inquiry Heads To Live TV Coverage

To the Editor:

For those of us who are not constitutional scholars (and let's face it, even for some of those who are), I think it's important to break down what's happening this week in the House of Representatives. The following is an overly simplistic (but accurate) outline of events. (Albeit not all of which will occur this week).

1) Watch C-SPAN, not network or cable news. Live or recorded, C-SPAN is gavel to gavel, zero commentary. Listen to the evidence yourself. (That part is my opinion).

2) You can liken the House's "sole power of impeachment" to a police investigation (the hearings) and subsequent arrest (impeachment) of a suspect.

3) If the ultimate house vote is YES, then liken the "articles of impeachment" to the words "You are under arrest for (insert each article)."

4) If the President is impeached, he remains in office, similar to a suspect released on bail pending trial.

5) The Senate has "the sole power to try" the impeachment (technically perhaps even having the power to outright refuse to hold a trail).

6) Assuming it occurs, you can liken the Senate trial to a "criminal jury trial." Both evidence of guilt and exculpatory evidence is presented and argued. However, the standard threshold for a Senate trial is not actually "beyond a reasonable doubt." Another difference, the Senate members are both presenting/debating the evidence and are ultimately the "jury" who will vote whether or not the impeachment articles are both positively proven and rise to the level of the extreme step of removing a United States President from office.

7) Next, I have no idea.

Kristine Piccola
Moorestown, NJ