The-Ave.US

No! A big fat NO. They’re just throwing arguments at the wall hoping one sticks.

The impeachment inquiry is not a “witch hunt.” Trump himself has acknowledged conduct that, without further evidence, would be enough to impeach him. And the inquiry is squarely within the House of Representatives’ constitutional authority.

Is the impeachment inquiry being conducted in secret without Republican participation? No. In every one of the committees involved in conducting the inquiry, Republican members have a seat, are allowed to participate, and are doing so.

Are Republicans abusing their participation? Arguably yes. On Thursday, Oct. 29, 2019, Democrats complained their questioning of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, a witness to Trump’s now-infamous July 25 phone conversation with Ukraine President Zelensky, attempted to extract the identity of the whistleblower. Federal law protects the whistleblower’s identity, and Democrats have expressed fear the person’s life could be in danger if his or her identity became public. Vindman has said he’s not the whistleblower, and doesn’t know who is.

This isn’t the first act of irresponsibility by Republicans in regard to the impeachment inquiry. Last week, dozens of Republican House members, some video-recording with cellphones, crashed and delayed a closed-door witness deposition being conducted in a secure facility our adversaries would love to get a better look at. They just did.

Do the Democrats have a valid reason for interviewing witnesses behind closed doors? Yes. Trump’s bullying, intimidation, and threats against witnesses (he’s suggested at least one witness should be shot as a spy) alone justify protecting the witnesses. And also, for that matter, warrant separate articles of impeachment for that conduct.

But in addition, while the Nixon and Clinton impeachments were preceded by special prosecutor investigations, this one is not — you’ll never get a special prosecutor appointed by Attorney General Barr, who himself deserves to be impeached for turning the Department of Justice into a law firm dedicated to defending Trump — so the closed-door hearings are a substitute for the special prosecutor investigation that’s absent from this impeachment, and function as a kind of grand jury.

Republicans have no problem with grand jury proceedings being secret. It’s the law. In fact, they’re trying to keep Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s grand jury proceedings — which resulted in multiple indictments, guilty pleas, convictions, and prison sentences of people close to Trump and his campaign — secret. (There are circumstances where a judge can order grand jury records unsealed; and, in this case, a judge just did.)

Democrats have explained the witness depositions need to be taken behind closed doors so the witnesses — many of whom are hostile and uncooperative — can’t coordinate their stories. In other words, lie.

Republicans complain this process denies Trump due process. That argument is specious, and they know it. It’s specious because there will be public hearings, with public testimony subject to cross-examination, and full participation by Republican members and counsel — including the right to cross-examine witnesses — before any vote is taken on articles of impeachment. Trump will get the same due process every other federal official who’s been impeached has gotten.

The bottom line is that everything Republicans are doing and saying is in bad faith. They’re not interested in the truth. To the contrary, they’re doing everything they can to derail the impeachment proceedings and protect their president from being held accountable for behavior that is simply outrageous: Converting congressionally appropriated and desperately need aid for an ally under attack by Russia into bribe money used to extort fabricated evidence of wrongdoing against Trump’s political opponent.

Not only is it outrageous, it’s a threat to our democracy. That Republicans are not only defending this, but trying to block the constitutional process the Founders created for specifically this kind of presidential misbehavior, is beyond the pale.

For Republicans, though, attacking the process is merely a cynical tactic. They know Trump’s behavior was indefensible and he essentially has no defense on the substance. So if House Republicans, now in a minority and unable to control the critical votes in that chamber, can’t shoot down impeachment in the process stage, and the House — as it surely will — impeaches Trump, Senate Republicans will be put in the awkward position of having to either approve of Trump’s behavior or remove him from office … a choice they don’t want to make with an election just around the corner.

Why not just wait for the election and let the voters decide? That was, in fact, where House Speaker Pelosi was leading her caucus until this Ukraine scandal came along. That changed everything. Why? For one thing, it was just too egregious to let pass. Even more importantly, if Democrats didn’t respond to this behavior, Trump was likely to do something even worse. Throughout his presidency, he’s been testing boundaries, and acting like there aren’t any. Hitler did the same thing, and history tells us what happened when the forces of law, decency, and right didn’t draw the line soon enough or firmly enough. Trump’s immorality and disrespect for the rule of law makes it more necessary to stop him in his tracks before he goes even farther.

The American people, who will be the ultimate arbiters of Trump’s fate, agree with what the Democrats are doing. The most recent polls show a majority now support impeachment and removal from office. That number is likely to grow as witnesses testify in public and the sordid facts are put in front of the nation in public hearings. Americans have a strong sense of fair play, and generally know right from wrong. All the due process in the world — and Trump will get it — won’t save him if those values survive his coming Senate trial.

There’s nothing wrong with how Democrats are conducting this impeachment process. What’s wrong is Donald Trump’s conduct. This process is necessary to set things right.