Trump’s acquittal would mean that future presidents will eventually be “absolutely unrestrained,” and become above the law. TRUMP NEVER READ CONSTITUTION FREEHe warned that if law-breakers were allowed to violate the law, they would set an example that, over time, would undermine the American experiment in free government: “By such examples, by instances of the perpetrators of such acts going unpunished, the lawless in spirit are encouraged to become lawless in practice and having been used to no restraint, but dread of punishment, they thus become, absolutely unrestrained.” This is what Abraham Lincoln warned about in his Lyceum Address of 1844. Trump’s acquittal (coupled with Clinton’s, in 1999) would mean that, over time, a future president can abuse his power, obstruct justice, commit perjury, profit from office, defy Congress, ignore subpoenas, seize Congress’ power of the purse, never reveal tax records, admit to sexual assault, violate campaign finance laws, intimidate witnesses, and disregard truth with impunity, firm in the knowledge that he faces no accountability, no check, no balance, no consequence, and no higher law.Ĭritics might say that I am blowing Trump’s misdeeds out of proportion, seeing the downfall of the republic in what amounts to a few errors of judgment. If Trump is acquitted by the Senate and his legal claims are vindicated, his acquittal essentially reverses the Supreme Court’s decision against Nixon. Trump’s lawyers have literally argued in court that, while president, Trump should be immune from investigation or prosecution for any criminal conduct. Trump refused to comply with Congressional subpoenas and claimed the impeachment inquiry was illegitimate. The same charge has now been levied against Trump for the same behavior. The Court unanimously rejected his claims, firmly establishing that the president is not above the law and is subject to the legal process. Nixon withheld information, claimed executive privilege, and appealed to the Supreme Court. One of the articles of impeachment drafted against President Richard Nixon in 1974 charged him with contempt of Congress because he refused to respond to Congressional subpoenas for documents related to his criminal behavior. More worryingly, he refused to comply with Congress’s power to investigate his conduct, a fundamental breach of the checks and balances that is the bedrock of our Constitutional order. The facts behind his impeachment show that he abused a position of public trust for private gain, the definition of corruption and abuse of power. Trump’s behavior is a threat to our Constitutional order. The Constitution - with its guarantees of free speech, free assembly, the right to petition the government, regular elections, and the peaceful transfer of power - is the only thing that forces the government to listen to us. Without it, we can talk about the evils of abortion until we are blue in the face and it will never affect abortion policy one iota. Our democratic Constitution - adopted to “secure the blessings of liberty” for all Americans - is what guarantees that our voice matters. Only when the government is forced to take counsel from its citizens through elections, representation, and majoritarian rule do our opinions count. In other systems of government, the government does not care what its citizens think or believe. The fact that we live in a democratic republic is what enables us to turn our prolife convictions from private opinion into public advocacy. The Constitution is more important than the prolife cause because without the Constitution, prolife advocacy would be meaningless. While Trump has an excellent record of appointing conservative judges and advancing a prolife agenda, his criminal conduct endangers the Constitution. Trump’s conviction and removal from office by the Senate. BoghosianĬhristians should advocate for President Donald J. for his flight to Philadelphia, Pa., to attend the 120th Army-Navy football game. Trump waves as he boards Air Force One Saturday, Dec.
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