· Should elected and appointed government officials who knowingly and repeatedly violate and profane their oath of office and the law under the Constitution be allowed to remain in office?
· Should elected or appointed officials faced with clear evidence of another official’s serious violations of laws of the land who choose to turn a blind eye to those violations be fit to remain in office?
· Has President Donald Trump willfully violated his sworn oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution of our Republic? Have members of his cabinet and other appointees flaunted the safeguards and laws called out by that Constitution, and the separation of powers among the three branches of government carefully crafted by the founding fathers?
Trump and the senior members of his hand-picked administration have directed or committed all of the following well documented acts, testified to by former members of his inner circle and administration in spite of intimidation by him or his enablers.
· Soliciting of and suborning Russian interference against Democratic campaign 2016 and current 2020 election.
· Replacing Director of Intelligence who testified that Russia had influenced and interfered in the 2016 election to aid Trump’s election.
· ignoring intelligence from his hand-picked replacement Director of National Intelligence warning that Russia had put a bounty on killing US troops in Afghanistan and refusing to confront Putin, lying about not having been briefed.
· Withholding delivery of urgently needed congressionally authorized defensive weapons to Ukraine to defend against Russia’s armed invasion, demanding that the new president first falsely declare potential opponent Biden was involved in Ukraine Gas deals.
· Trying to eliminate sanctions of Russia overwhelmingly voted by a Republican dominated senate after Russian invasion of Crimea and eastern Ukraine.
· Abruptly abandoning Kurdish US Allies in NE Syria against objections of his Secretary of Defense, withdrawing troops to the oil fields bordering Iraq.
· Refusing to confront Putin on Russian military aggressive confrontations with US troops remaining in eastern Syria putting troops at risk.
· Attempting to restore Russian membership in the G-7 expelled after the invasion and seizure of Ukrainian Crimea and invasion of eastern Ukraine.
· Continuing frequent personal and private telecons with Putin un-monitored in violation of National security policy.
· Replacing FBI director Comey for not pledging unconditional fealty.
· Creating and incessantly repeating the false narrative of massive voter fraud in spite of sworn statements by administration law enforcement officials in testimony to congress that there is no evidence to support his false claims.
· Replacing head of US Postal service with a wealthy supporter currently under indictment, to sabotage the Postal service ability to handle mail in voting during the Covid19 pandemic by removing key sorting capability, mail boxes and reducing postal workers to hinder mail in voting.
· Actively encouraging party operatives at state and local levels to thwart voting by US citizens in areas likely to vote blue by removing polling locations and staffing, publicly encouraging intimidation of voters by his supporters at remaining polling places, and suborning the rigging of the “electoral college elector selection,
· Defying congressional subpoenas and directing others in his administration to do the same in violation of the Constitution.
· Firing and replacing the competent and respected CDC Leadership, warping all recommendations by the CDC staff that disagreed with his irresponsible Covid19 declarations.
· Firing Inspectors general of several agencies investigating whistle blower complaints in defense, intel, state and Dept of Health and Safety.
· Refusing to separate his financial interests from flagrant conflicts of interests “encouraging” foreign and domestic visitors to stay at his properties, even directing. his crony ambassador to the UK to get British Open moved to Trump golf course in Scotland, violating the Emolument clause in the Constitution.
· Possible Trump enterprise acceptance of laundered money from Russian Putin Oligarchs who hold his indebtedness.
· Violating with contempt of Constitutional authority granted to the legislative branch, and lying continuously to the American People.
· Fiercely refusing to provide financial data as other presidents have done since Watergate, and directing members of his cabinet to deny data subpoenaed by congress as required by law. Why?
Is it because it would disclose the magnitude of losses and tax fraud in his business? Or is it because it would reveal to whom he is indebted at home or abroad.
The long sought and recently revealed financial information obtained by NY State authorities raise serious questions.
The lack of payment of taxes for so many years suggest possible tax fraud, but more than that, much of his massive current debt may be held by interests close to Vladimir Putin. That in and of itself would make Trump a national security risk under long standing US national security regulations.
Do any of these actions rise to the level of high crimes as defined under US law?
Article III, Section 3 of the United States Constitution and Title 18 U.S. Code § 2381 define Treason stating that “Whoever, owing allegiance to the United States, levies war against them or adheres to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort within the United States or elsewhere, is guilty of treason and shall suffer death, or shall be imprisoned not less than five years and fined under this title but not less than $10,000; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
Would Americans be justified in concluding by any reasonable interpretation of the Constitution and title 18 of the US code that: 1) Donald Trump has committed numerous acts of treason? And 2) that Trump has and continues to violate his sworn oath of office, and every concept of human decency, inviting the nation’s most dangerous adversaries to sabotage our nation while he trashes and dismantles all the crucial checks and safeguards envisioned by our nation’s founders who knew the dangers of greed and despotism as well as the dangers of mob rule?
Yet with only one exception, the Republican senate majority orchestrated by Majority Leader McConnell refused to hear any testimony by witnesses during Trump’s impeachment trial in spite of information that oozed out from disenchanted administration insiders with the courage to put the national interest above politics and their own interests.
Senate Majority Leader McConnell for his part, has blocked any legislation passed by the democratic house to be considered in the senate and orchestrated obstruction of justice by denying any legislative remedy or witness testimony about Trump’s possible treachery during the impeachment trial to abet and protect his master.
William Barr for his part has abused his office as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer to protect his master and stifle independent investigation or dissent within his department about his politicized leadership and support, and:
· Withheld damaging details of the Mueller report, mischaracterized it to the public and congress, and transferred investigators to discredit independent investigative agencies and safeguards of our nation.
· Opened investigations into the FBI and censored Mueller report with unjustified redactions overriding the career professional prosecutors, to do the bidding of Trump.
· Replaced lead attorney to directly interfere in SDNY AG investigation of Trump corruption in NY State.
· Brought in “unmarked” storm troopers from various unidentified agencies to suppress peaceful citizen demonstrations in DC’s Lafayette square for Trump’s disgusting “Walk in The Park”.
· Is trying even now to reduce/reverse conviction of Michael Flynn who acted as an agent of Putin’s Russia as a member of Trump’s transition team and lied to investigators about his role as an agent of a foreign power.
Then there are the abuses of power, and conflicts of interest by other Trump enablers, --political appointees with obvious conflicts of interest ‘rubber stamped’ by McConnell’s republican majority and who have routinely issued orders within their purview to roll back administrative constraints on their former business interests, and those of the president who would be emperor. At the same time, they have assumed royally rich entitlements and privileges at the tax payers’ expense.
Vladimir Putin must be delighted at how successfully he and his intelligence apparatus have co-opted a narcissistic illiterate scoff law and helped convince a significant segment of the American people to elect him. The irony is that they did it by employing American developed internet and social media technology to sow discord and disinformation in the process. Even in the face of the Mueller report and subsequent revelations that clearly found that Russian Intelligence operatives interfered in the 2016 election and continue to do so, the republican party leadership has avoided facing that truth.
Conclusion
The question before the American people is:
· Should any elected officials after taking a sworn oath to hear fairly and fully the evidence in a trial, and aware of witnesses with evidence about potential serious law violations by another elected official charged with high crimes and misdemeanors, yet choose to obstruct the investigation be considered fit to remain in office? Or have they forfeited the right to hold high office?
· Should those same elected officials, who in less than a decade, have transformed the party of Lincoln into a cesspool of corruption, be allowed to continue their feckless hypocrisy, betraying our nation in order to cling to power?
· Should a senate majority leader who regularly violates his sworn oath of office at the bidding of a corrupt tyrant be entitled to remain in office?
· Should some of the richest American oligarchs and corporations be allowed to continue to pillage our nation’s wealth and environment while evading payment of their fair share of the cost of liberty and well-being for all citizens?
Donald Trump and his band of self-serving abettors of corruption and treason have shown us the weaknesses in the fabric of our nation’s safeguards. These need to be repaired now to restore trust in our government operations.
Will we learn the lessons of the last four years and rid our nation of those craven dishonest senators who collectively with those in the executive branch have abetted treason as defined in our constitution and statutes, and add the necessary safeguards to the damaged rule of law?
Or shall we allow this to be the end of the most successful if imperfect experiment of democracy in history?
We the voters will decide the answers to these questions between now and November 3rd -- first by communicating to all our elected officials what we want and then backing it up with our votes and assuring they are delivered and counted correctly.
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