Letter to the editor: A constitutional professor weighs in on Trump’s impeachment

Watergate outdone

Historically speaking, the impeachment case against President Donald Trump satisfies the constitutional standard of “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors” better than any previous such case, except perhaps Richard Nixon’s.

During their phone conversation July 25, Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a “favor.” We now know that Trump was leveraging an official state visit and $392 million of military aid for a public announcement of an investigation of Joe Biden and his son. That’s bribery.

Andrew Johnson made unpopular political decisions during his presidency, but he did nothing illegal. His removal of Edwin Stanton, the Secretary of War, was proved to be within his constitutional authority. Bill Clinton exercised incredibly poor judgment in having a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern, but it did not warrant removal from office.

The clearest parallel to the current investigation is Nixon. He ordered the burglary of the Watergate building to learn what the Democrats were planning in the 1972 election, and he then orchestrated a cover-up. Trump’s actions are arguably worse than Nixon’s, because Trump wanted to involve a foreign government in U.S. elections.

If your members of Congress do not review the evidence of this investigation with the degree of seriousness it deserves, then you should vote them out of office.

- James B. Staab, Professor of political science and constitutional law, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg