Trump Impeachment Inquiry Must Begin NOW

Dear Representative Connolly,

A former coworker recently claimed: “Impeachment won’t work. Republicans control the senate and like what Trump is doing.” Also, a recent Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll found that 43% of voters favor “…no action against the President.”

Are those reasons to justify not impeaching a president who has blatantly violated the constitution and committed more high crimes and misdemeanors than any president in history? I learned about integrity in Air War College (“Integrity First!”), and if you are a man of integrity, you will not shy away from Doing The Right Thing, even if it is inconvenient, uncomfortable, and unpopular.

And I know that impeachment will work in that it will demonstrate to the general public all the ways and occasions in which Trump has lied; bullied; obstructed justice; harmed the environment; abused power; used his office for personal profit; encouraged tyrannical dictators; and used cronyism, lust for power, and seeing his name in the news media to influence his decisions; etc. (His misdeeds are too numerous to mention. But they make me angry!)

And it doesn't matter if impeachment will "work" or not, nor does it matter that most republicans still support Trump. As Mann & Ornstein stated on April 27, 2012 (from “Let’s just say it: The Republicans are the problem.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/lets-just-say-it-the-republicans-are-the-problem/2012/04/27/gIQAxCVUlT_story.html?utm_term=.fb1df67b40fe): “The GOP has become an insurgent outlier in American politics. It is ideologically extreme; scornful of compromise; unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition.” In other words, the GOP has no integrity. And if Democrats refuse to impeach, they have none, either.

What DOES MATTER is that impeachment must happen to hold Trump accountable. To not impeach and not hold him accountable is for our government to give his corrupt actions its stamp of approval. For Trump’s actions ARE high crimes and misdemeanors. Have you read the (redacted) Mueller report? The Obstruction of Justice section is damning, but is nowhere close to the most grievous of his crimes. Since my last (1/18/19) letter to you, there is much more proof that you must step up and act in the country’s and your constituents’ best interests by calling for an impeachment investigation—Now. We cannot bury our heads in the sand and wait another 598 days for Trump to—hopefully(?)—leave office. The GOP, the climate deniers, the racists, and the bullies have all been laughing at us. I don’t know much about history, but the Democratic Party sure seems like the Neville Chamberlain of World War II: the weakling in the face of a tyrant. Our democracy and the future of the planet are at stake. Will You Do The Right Thing?

Sincerely,

John H. Fringer

Reston

P.S.: Rep. Connolly's reply dated 6-7-19 is attached. It's a slap-in-the-face form letter response to concerns about the Mueller Report. However, there are numerous other impeachable offenses. (See https://www.needtoimpeach.com/impeachable-offenses/) But the main reason Trump must be stopped is the irreparable damage he's doing to the environment. We can't wait another 15 months to respond to climate change. Every time I go outside, I'm reminded of the ever-increasing humidity, rainfall, and heat stress caused by climate change. To say that climate change is already upon us is an understatement. And humans are not the only ones suffering. Race horses are dying at the track, deer are dying of chronic wasting disease, wildlife extinction is accelerating. And Trump is doing everything in his power (e.g., eliminating fuel efficiency standards, promoting coal and other fossil fuels, lifting air quality restrictions, dening climate change science, etc.) to accelerate global warming. As a former environmental engineer who understands the science of climate change, Trump's actions are sickening. Is it not the duty of our elected representatives to not only respond to the will of the people, but to protect them--and wildlife--from environmental contamination, even if they don't understand Science? Here's a way to impeach Trump, without trying him in the Senate: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/impeach-trump-but-dont-necessarily-try-him-in-the-senate/2019/06/05/22d83672-87bc-11e9-a870-b9c411dc4312_story.html?utm_term=.7ad2e912e11a). Just Impeach Him. Please!