Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic House majority, unless appropriate action is taken soon, may allow what possibly is the greatest con job in American history to continue unpunished.
Many argue Speaker Pelosi must begin impeachment hearings in order to expose and clarify to American citizens the chaos of assaults Trump has inflicted on the American Constitution. That I believe is true. However, there is a critical concern even more important than impeaching Trump, or than which of the two dozen Democratic candidates will challenge him in the 2020 election. What is critical for Speaker Pelosi is to appoint a bi-partisan special commission to investigate the validity of the Russian hacked 2016 presidential election and if, in fact, Donald Trump is the legitimate President of the United States of America.
According to the Mueller Report, Russian interference in the 2016 election was committed in “sweeping and systematic fashion.” Yet,our nation has not yet verified that Donald Trump is the legal President of the United States, as evidence continues to grow that he is not.
Many Republicans, such as GOP Senator Lindsey Graham, have commented that Trump won the 2016 election “fair and square.” But that statement was based on numerous assumptions. It was determined shortly after the election that although Russian hacking and other interference occurred, actual vote totals were not altered. But now recent Congressional testimony indicates voting machines can be accessed through the Internet. The Mueller Report shares polling data was given to Russian officials and specific American voters targeted with “fake news.” Now, vote totals from two Florida counties have come under increased scrutiny. In Detroit, considered a strong Democratic leaning city, on election day approximately 70,000 machine-counted ballots were missing a selection for President. Trump won the State of Michigan by
only 28,000 votes.
Trump did not win the popular vote. He was technically selected as President by the Electoral College by extremely close votes in several rust belt states, which were impacted by Russian hacking, as well as by gerrymandering and GOP voter suppression efforts. A total of 78,000 votes from “Rust Belt” states secured the technical presidency for Trump despite Hillary Rodham Clinton beating him in the popular vote by 2.9 million ballots.
When Russian interference was discovered prior to the 2016 election, President Obama sought the support of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in issuing a bi-partisan warning to the American people about Russia’s efforts to disrupt our
election. However, McConnell declined to participate, indicating per published articles that he would describe any such statement as unnecessary and politically motivated.
Every member of Congress, regardless of political party, takes an Oath to defend the Constitution of the United States of America. Yet, from the Inauguration of Donald Trump through the 2018 mid-terms, the Republican party has successfully blocked every attempt by the Democratic members of Congress to verify the legitimacy of the 2016 election. The Democrats have already sought unsuccessfully to establish a bi-partisan commission to examine the 2016 election. The GOP also blocked Democratic attempts to probe Trump’s ties to Russia, and as well as Russian funneling of money through the National Rifle Association to support the election of Trump. Such obstructionism by the GOP, in my view, contributed to the highly successful Blue Wave which allowed the Democratic Party to once again lead the House of Representatives.
It has only been five months since the newly elected Democratic members of Congress were sworn into office. But in a nation in which tea leaves have played a significant role in the forming of our democracy, many individuals who at a minimum
believe Donald Trump is unfit to serve, strongly feel Speaker Pelosi is reading the tea leaves wrong in terms of delaying an impeachment inquiry. A nation of resisters have fought too hard against this unfit, and perhaps illegitimate, president to accept
Speaker Pelosi’s apparent argument that impeachment remains on the table while the House continues accumulating evidence to share with the American public. But those who maintain the House should honor their Constitutional Oaths because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is bragging GOP Senators will protect Trump, and not honor theirs, imply to the American public the Democratic Party is operating on political concerns, not for the sake of integrity.
Because the GOP did not investigate the 2016 election when it held the House and Senate does not mean it is now too late to seek justice. Speaker Pelosi must establish a 2016 election integrity commission, along with the start of impeachment hearings. To allow Trump to complete a full-term without determining if he is the legitimate POTUS is more than unacceptable. It is giving legitimacy to a corrupt administration which may have no right to be “serving” our nation.
Ironically, there is a court decision related to foreign involvement in an American election which directly impacts this issue. In Bluman V. Federal Election Commission (August 8, 2011), then Circuit Court Judge Brett Kavanaugh was considering a case in which a foreign national wished to pay for flyers for President Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. The court ruled it was “unlawful for a foreign national, directly or indirectly” to contribute to a presidential campaign. Judge Kavanaugh noted “money to influence voters and finance campaigns” are “closely related to democratic self-government” and cannot be participated in by foreign nationals. He continued that Congress should be allowed “to take measures” at “preventing foreign individuals or associations from influencing and thus may be excluded from activities of democratic self-government.”
Judge Kavanaugh further explained this issue would have been of special concern to the founders of our nation, who Kavanaugh described as having an “obsession with foreign influence in our elections derived from a fear that foreign powers and individuals had no basic investment in the well-being” of our democracy.
Yet, the Mueller report explains in great detail how Russia established fake American groups for Trump, or against Clinton, and actively interfered in our election for one specific candidate, Trump. Although specific Russians have been indicted, it is still critical to investigate whether Russian efforts actually won the 2016 election for Trump. Trump’s own behavior, reflecting a “consciousness of guilt,” and his public praise of Putin over our nation’s own intelligence community, demands that this investigation into the 2016 election occur now. Our nation must learn whether or not the chaos of the Trump White House was due to an actual decision of the American people, or to a con engineered by the perhaps the most corrupt administration in American history, aided by complicit Republican members of Congress, choosing political power over love of country.
It is imperative the House of Representatives do what the GOP-led House refused to do, to defend the Constitution of the United States. Not to permit Trump to blatantly profit from his position. Not to usurp the power of Congress to levy taxes. Not
to obstruct the Free Press from doing its job by terming it “Enemy of the People.” Not to, with the support of the GOP, to place unqualified persons into political office with the goal of destroying federal agencies, rather than to responsibly guide them to
serve the American people.
It is not an American Ideal to separate children from parents seeking asylum. It is not an American Ideal that it is alright for children to lay in cells on cold floors, and to be denied even a toothbrush. Is it an American Ideal to arrest a citizen for sharing water with families crossing a desert in search of asylum? Is it an American Ideal for a president to praise foreign dictators and yet attack our own public servants?
The American People gave the Democratic Party back the House of Representatives in order defend our nation against an unfit leader, who may illegitimately be holding office. Children are dying. Families are suffering; and Trump and the complicit GOP are bidding time until 2020. It’s time to use the tools of the House to defend our nation, and to confront The Fake News King, who may be in fact a fake POTUS.
No man or woman is above the law. As a nation which knows its 2016 national election was cyber-attacked to promote, and perhaps “rig” the election of Trump. how can we simply accept assumptions and acquiesce to a tyranny of the minority seeking to guide our nation through fear and hatred? Speaker Pelosi must appoint now a special commission to investigate the illegitimacy of the 2016 election, as well as begin impeachment hearings. But consider if the illegitimacy of the Trump Administration is proven, and begins into question all of the controversial actions and appointments he has made. It may be necessary to reconvene the Electoral College and allow it to consider the relevant evidence as we now know it, and then re-vote if necessary.
If the Trump presidency is a con, it is time for the con to end.
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The Focus 