President Trump's Russia denialism is grounds for impeachment
That fundamental right to choose our own leaders is under siege and the president is not only doing nothing, he won't accept that it's happening.
The 35 words that make a president: “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
The eight words in Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution that define “Treason against the United States": “adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.”
This is language to remember in light of congressional testimony this week by President Trump's intelligence team.
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“Frankly, the United States is under attack” from Russia and other foreign countries who are “using elections as opportunities to undermine democracy…There should be no doubt that Russia perceives its past efforts as successful and views the 2018 U.S. midterm elections as a potential target for Russian influence operation,” said Dan Coats, the administration's Director of National Intelligence.
Mike Pompeo, the director of the CIA, said at the same hearing that “we have seen Russian activity and intentions to have an impact on the next election cycle here.” FBI Director Christopher Wray agreed that the Russians had meddled in 2016 and planned to do so again.
Trump named all three men to their jobs and had high praise for them. He said Coats “has clearly demonstrated the deep subject matter expertise and sound judgment required to lead our intelligence community.” He said Pompeo would be "a brilliant and unrelenting leader for our intelligence community to ensure the safety of Americans and our allies.” He called Wray "a man of impeccable credentials."
You'd think the straightforward assessment of these three professionals hand-picked by Trump would carry weight with him. Instead, in the aftermath of the hearing, Trump reportedly was still skeptical that Russia had interfered.
Trump's refusal to accept the consensus of his own national security team seems to be the definition of “adhering to” our “Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.” His state of denial of emboldens America’s enemies to continue their attacks against our democratic process, and makes him a willing accomplice in their efforts to undermine our republic.
At the hearing, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., asked Wray if Trump had directed the intelligence community to counteract Russia’s ongoing efforts to interfere with our elections. Wray’s response: “Not specifically directed by the president.”
So the commander in chief, confronted with evidence of a foreign power's efforts and intent to manipulate our election process, has not even directed his national security team to counter an attack on our democratic process so blatant that Democrats and Republicans alike say it may constitute an act of war.
Trump hasn’t given this direction because doing so would be an acknowledgment that Russia interfered. Such a concession could open the door to questions about the legitimacy of the 2016 election and his presidency. It would fuel the special counsel investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia. Trump is knowingly avoiding the facts for political reasons and doing so at the expense of our democracy.
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What is the point of having a free republic, if the president turns a blind eye to outside interference from a foreign power?
What is the point of having the most awesome military force the world has ever seen if a foreign power can play a hands-on role in selecting the leader of our nation?
What is the point of building a wall to keep people out, when our enemies can use technology to circumvent physical barriers and wreak havoc on our electoral process?
At the heart of our country is the idea that Americans are empowered to choose who represents them in public office. That fundamental right of governance is under siege right now and the president of the United States is not doing anything about it.
Even worse, he is denying the threat even exists. This is an alarming dereliction of duty. This is a betrayal of the oath of office he swore to uphold. This is treasonous behavior and grounds for impeachment.
Kurt Bardella, a member of USA Today’s Board of Contributors, is a former Republican and a former spokesman for Breitbart News and Republicans in Congress.Follow him on Twitter: @kurtbardella