January 6 will be a day that lives in infamy. The violent mob that stormed the Capitol that day was inspired by dozens of unconfirmed counts of voter fraud regarding the 2020 election. One of the prominent spreaders of misinformation was former President Donald Trump. Despite Trump’s allegations of voter fraud and relentless Twitter presence, is Trump truly accountable for the insurrection at the capitol and the death of five people on January 6? My answer: maybe. While Trump’s rhetoric was undoubtedly heard and believed by his strongest supporters, there is insufficient proof that he coordinated or led an attack on our Capitol which breached his Constitutionally granted presidential duty.
Instead of focusing on whether or not Trump caused angry Americans to lay siege on the Capitol, let’s think about the significance of presidential impeachment. Impeachment is one of the most safeguarded checks on elected officials in the Constitution. The Constitution specifically outlines the provisions that an elected official can be charged with: “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” With a handful of days left in Trump’s presidency, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi chased down the clock and charged our former president with “incitement of insurrection.” Democrats in the House alleged that Trump had committed a “high Crime and Misdemeanor” by giving a speech to his supporters on January 6. If we begin impeaching presidents on the grounds of political affiliation, we as a nation demean the sanctity of the impeachment safeguard.
Instead of trying to climb the party ladder by impeaching Trump over and over again, let’s strive for unity. Continuously impeaching Trump only further divides our great nation. Members of the House need to consider if our former president will be convicted by the Senate before charging him with impeachment. Why waste precious government money and time by impeaching Trump and tearing our nation further apart if we know that Republican Senators will not vote to convict him? Furthermore, as there is little proof that Trump breached the oath of his office, our government needs to learn to stop impeaching elected officials over partisan spite. Many politicians in Congress fail to consider the ramifications impeachment has on the American public. Some families and neighbors struggle to associate in the current political climate because of the polarizing decisions made in Congress. It is time to reunite our country and stop the partisan impeachments.
