As I type this, the House of Representatives continues to investigate Donald Trump under the umbrella of an impeachment inquiry. This inquiry, though now without one of its most stalwart supporters in Elijah Cummings, will undoubtedly lead to Donald Trump’s impeachment.
You would think that, if you were Trump, you would buckle down and cooperate with the House in hopes of softening the blow of impeachment. And, above all else, steer away from any other actions that may flirt with being unconstitutional or illegal. You would think that Trump would not want to add to already significant list of impeachable offenses.
You would be wrong.
Before I get to the new addition to the list, it may be helpful to review what has already happened. The first major impeachable offense committed by Trump came on the heels of the most protracted government shutdown in American history earlier this year. After signing the budget bill passed in January, Donald Trump declared a national emergency to build his border wall. As I have outlined in previous articles, this is a direct violation of the constitutional duties of Congress when it comes to appropriations. Congress is not moving to impeach for this issue, due to their desire to leave that precedent in place. But the action is impeachable nevertheless.
The second major impeachable offense came within the last month. Of course, I am referring to the Ukraine scandal that is currently the focus of the impeachment inquiry. The most recent development in this scandal seems to help suggest that Trump committed an impeachable offense, and he should be worried. However, he has decided to stonewall Congress on this instead, setting a terrible precedent that I hope Congress will fight against.
That brings us to the newest development. Yesterday, the White House announced that the 2020 G-7 Summit would be held at a Trump resort in Florida. If this sounds bad to you, it should. There is no way to spin this story as anything other than a breach of the Emoluments Clause. Donald Trump awarding himself a profitable international meeting is a gross and blatant abuse of power. If not corrected, it is most assuredly impeachable.
I worry this list will continue to grow longer if we don’t do something now, and so I end with a plea to the reader. Contact your representative or senator and ask them to support impeachment. The country needs it.
Scott Howard is a constitutionally-minded conservative freelance writer with a focus on fiscal matters and foreign policy. You can follow him on Twitter: Follow @thenextTedCruz
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Not ONE thing you mentioned is an impeachable offense.
If you believe I have gone wrong somewhere in my analysis, I would love to hear it, whether in a comment or in an article.