“President
Donald Trump’s defense team made several accurate observations at the
impeachment trial. Many elected Democrats did want to impeach President Trump
from the moment he won the 2016 election. The mainstream media was
unrelentingly biased and hostile to the president. Both often overlooked
violent riots when perpetrated in favor of causes they found sympathetic last
summer.
“However,
these facts do not make President Trump’s conduct in response to losing the
2020 election acceptable. He began with dishonest, systematic attempts to
convince supporters that he had won. His lawful, but unsuccessful, legal
challenges failed due to lack of evidence. Then, he applied intense pressure on
state and local officials to reverse the election outcomes in their states.
“When
these efforts failed, President Trump summoned thousands to Washington, D.C.
and inflamed their passions by repeating disproven allegations about widespread
fraud. He urged the mob to march on the Capitol for the explicit purpose of
preventing Congress and the Vice President from formally certifying the results
of the presidential election. All of this to hold on to power despite having
legitimately lost.
“As
a result of President Trump’s actions, for the first time in American history,
the transfer of presidential power was not peaceful. A lawless attempt to
retain power by a president was one of the founders’ greatest fears motivating
the inclusion of the impeachment authorities in the U.S. Constitution.
“I
was one of the 74 million Americans who voted for President Trump, in part
because of the many accomplishments of his administration. Unfortunately, his
behavior after the election betrayed the confidence millions of us placed in
him.
“His
betrayal of the Constitution and his oath of office required conviction.”
###
