Day one of the impeachment hearings proved to be a must-watch television event nationwide, even if the president himself wasn’t tuning in.
After much anticipation, the impeachment hearings for President Donald Trump began on Nov. 13. The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence is determined to prove whether Trump abused his power in any way and, if found guilty, take the necessary actions to impeach him as soon as possible.
The last time our country witnessed an impeachment proceeding that led to the immediate departure of a president from the White House was in 1973, with former President Richard Nixon resigning before the investigation was even complete.
The Watergate scandal is one of our country’s most historic presidential scandals ever, and there’s no doubt that the whistleblower dilemma will top it.
The comparisons rising between Trump and Nixon are inevitable, to say the least. Here are two presidents who have both been accused of abusing their executive powers, among other crimes, to remain in the oval office. In Nixon’s case, he was found guilty of obstruction of justice, abuse of power and contempt of Congress.
Many Americans would be happy if Trump took a page from Nixon’s book and resigned from office before the next impeachment hearing. However, Trump and his allies have continued to stick to their story and claim the desire of fighting corruption as the motive for having Ukraine’s president investigate former Vice President Joe Biden and his son.
One stand-out moment during the first impeachment hearing was when U.S. Rep. Peter Welch said, “I’d be glad to have the person who started it all come in and testify. President Trump is welcome to take a seat right there.” Welch’s statement caused the Democrats who were present in the hearing to erupt into laughter.
Another key moment was when New York’s U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik concluded her argument on why President Trump should not be impeached by presenting one major point, stating “There was, in fact, no investigation into Biden,” as NPR covered. Trump continues to speak and move like a man who isn’t going through the impeachment process.
Bringing Trump himself into the hearings would give the hearings more publicity, but Trump’s constant call to innocence is strategic.
By avoiding all association with the hearings, despite his usual Twitter rants, it’s putting him in a safer light for the 2020 election. Him and his allies insist that he has not done anything wrong and he has shown no doubts in his innocence thus far. The American people will remain tuned into the next public impeachment hearing.
As we continue to live through this exciting, historical moment in Trump’s presidency, American citizens must remember that we live in a democratic country with the ultimate power to vote for who we want in office.
Next year’s presidential election will be a crucial one for the United States as we must all come together and choose a worthy, patriotic leader who will act as the citizen of our country’s best interests.
