EDITOR:

I am writing because I believe it would be of service to the American people if Donald Trump allowed the truth to be told in the Ukrainian matter.

Mr. Trump and his lawyers and Republican allies claim that the House Impeachment hearings are a “sham,” based upon “gossip” and secondhand information.

There is a simple way to clear all that up and bring the truth of the matter to the fore, so that everyone in America will be able to understand for themselves exactly what took place.

It would also help make clear why what happened on a so-called “perfect phone call,” may or may not be something which puts Mr. Trump in peril of Impeachment and being convicted and removed from office due to conspiring to undermine our free and democratic 2020 elections by inviting a foreign power to interfere in the election campaign process.

If Mr. Trump is innocent (as he regularly claims to be) and has nothing to hide, then— as my Junior High Sunday School teacher, Mr. Jahnke used to say, “Why not just let the truth be told?”

If Donald Trump has nothing to hide, he should immediately turn over the original, non-redacted, unedited recordings, archived transcripts, and any and all aides’ notes of all of his conversations verbal or written, with the Ukrainian government in relation to Hunter Biden, Joe Biden Jr. and the subjects of U.S. foreign and military aid to Ukraine (including all materials related to both the July 25 and newly revealed, July 26 calls). Those recordings and other evidence should be played back in the open hearings, for all Americans to hear (less only those brief passages that the Intelligence Committee in consultation with the FBI and CIA, would deem to be of national security interest) as were the Watergate Tapes in 1973.

Then, every American could know what actually transpired — -who said what, what was asked by whom, and what, if anything, was offered in return. Such information would indicate what, if anything was threatened or implied in retaliation if the things requested were not given (which goes to the heart of the legal question, of a Quid-pro-Quo).

If he is innocent, Mr. Trump should have nothing to fear. As the old saying goes, “Know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you free.” Of course, there is also the opposite possibility to consider. In that case, the House should move swiftly to Impeach Mr. Trump for High Crimes against the Constitution he is sworn to uphold, and the Senate should bring him swiftly to trial, convict him, and remove him from office.

Dan Young

Escanaba