Trump Should Be Impeached

Donald Trump meets with Ukraine’s president amidst a whistleblower’s report.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

By HILLARY MICHEL

What’s an impeachable action? The U.S. Constitution defines it as “treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors.” What President Trump has done might be borderline all four.

While Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were on the phone, Trump asked that Ukraine “do me a favor” and investigate his possible 2020 opponent, Joe Biden, and his son Hunter, for possible corruption.

Just days before the conversation, the president ordered that the U.S. withhold $400 million of financial aid to Ukraine, an ally of our country. The president also made sure to mention how “good” the United States had been to Ukraine and how little European nations were helping them. This is a form of extortion. Ukraine, which is trying to protect itself militarily from attacks by Russia, definitely needs aid, and if the president urges them to do something while withholding money, then Ukraine would feel the need to do it so that they could receive the aid.

Trump was hoping the Ukrainian President would help find “dirt” on Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, who used to be a paid advisor to a Ukrainian gas company named Burisma Holdings.

Though it is not a crime for the vice president’s son to work for a foregin company, some have wondered if Biden used his power to get his son the job. There were also times during the Obama years that the administration pushed for Ukraine to more aggressively find and fight corruption. During this time, a prosecutor was looking into Burisma Holdings, but then that prosecutor was fired by Ukrainian leaders. Trump claims that Biden blackmailed Ukrainian leaders to not investigate that company with the threat to stop aid. There is no evidence for this claim.

However, President Trump says he sees nothing wrong with his actions and says it was “a perfect phone call.” He claims that it is his right as president to look into corruption and has even asked China to also look into Joe Biden. Though the president should try to stop corruption, this mirrors a previous Trump scandal: alleged collusion with Russia to sway the 2016 election against Hillary Clinton. The president is again trying to use a foreign country to bring down a political opponent.

Involving other counties in American elections is a slippery slope. The American people should be well-informed by their own government and make their voting decisions based on true information. By allowing foreign governments to disrupt this process, Trump is betraying the country. He is threatening the United States’ democracy. The American people are the only ones who have the right to choose their president, and that decision should not be made based on misinformation from a biased source.

Impeachment is when the president goes on trial before the Senate for betraying his oath of office. Trump has clearly betrayed his oath, and the House of Representatives should vote to impeach him.