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Did the president betray his trust

EDITOR:

A November 21, 2019, letter to the editor, entitled “Nothing to hide,” asks the question, “What high crime or misdemeanor has he (the president) been charged with?

A president, vice president and all civil officers can be impeached and removed from office for high Crimes and Misdemeanors. High crimes and misdemeanors was the standard for removal of office in England at the time of the drafting of the Constitution. It includes crimes we recognize and more.

Robert G. Natelson, described by the Federalist Society as …one of America’s best-known constitutional scholars, wrote that, … high misdemeanors encompass breaches of the duties of loyalty, good faith, and care, and of the obligations to account and to follow instructions (including the law and Constitution) when administering one’s office. Impeachment: The Constitution s Fiduciary Meaning of High . . . Misdemeanors, 2018 Federalist Society Review.

At the Constitutional Convention James Madison said that the governed must be protected against the negligence or perfidy of the chief magistrate. He might betray his trust to foreign powers.

On November 21, 2019, Ronald Reagan speech writer, Peggy Noonan wrote in the Wall Street Journal, republished by Fox News on November 23, 2019, Look, the case has been made. Almost everything in the impeachment hearings this week fleshed out and backed up the charge that President Trump muscled Ukraine for political gain.

On Friday, November 22, 2019 Fox and Friends Steve Doocy asked the president if he was sure Democrats gave a server from the 2016 campaign to Ukraine. The president’s answer was “Well, that’s what the word is.” Only the Russians are promoting the president’s view on the Ukraine being involved in the 2016 election.

The president s acceptance of Russian interference with U.S. elections was front and center at a July 27, 2016 press conference in Florida, when he said, “Russia, if you re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 (Hillary Clinton) emails that are missing.” Five hours later Russians attacked the Clinton email accounts.

In July 2018 at the Helsinki summit the president met with Russian President Putin alone. After their meeting the president was asked whether he agreed with the universal position of U.S. intelligence agencies that Russia hacked the 2016 election. The president sided with the Russian president who told the president Russia was not involved.

At the 2019 G20 conference in Osaka, the president s shared wink-wink- nod-nod joke with Vladimir Putin, don’t meddle in the election. Putin shared the laugh.

In the House hearings Fiona Hill, White House expert on Vladmir Putin, entreated the committee members not promote the falsehood that Ukraine, not Russia, attacked the 2016 elections. She testified that the falsehood so clearly advance Russian interests.

The question is not what crime the president has committed, rather it is did the president betray his trust to foreign powers, engage in self dealing, or was he disloyal, negligent or engage in perfidy, or did tarnished the integrity of the presidency or injure the structure of government?

Richard Clark

Escanaba

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