Tag Archives: Logan Act

Why Does The Republican Party Even Exist?

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Once the proud party of Lincoln whose actions saved the Republic and emancipated the slaves, the Republican Party has been caught in a destructive downward spiral ever since. Of the seven presidents who served during the nation’s Gilden Age, six were Republicans. Together, they endorsed Horse and Sparrow economics – the predecessor of Trickle-Down economics – that allowed a few industrialists to create an enormous wealth gap between themselves and ordinary Americans.

Likewise, the scandal-plagued, pro-business administrations of Republicans Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge created an overheated economy that led to the 1929 Wall Street crash and the Great Depression. They were followed by Republican Herbert Hoover who, although he was credited with organizing a massive food relief program during and after WWI, his timid response to the Great Depression resulted in a deepening of the depression that continued until the election of Democratic Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower, the hero of WWII, led us into the Vietnam War and signed off on the Dulles brothers’ ill-advised overthrow of democratically elected governments in Iran, Guatemala, Indonesia and Congo. He also embraced White Christian Nationalists who added “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance and changed the national motto from “E Pluribus Unum” (from many, one) to “In God We Trust. Those same religious and racist zealots have been trying to turn the U.S. into an unconstitutional theocratic-driven Christian nation ever since.

Republican Richard M. Nixon was elected, in part, due to his violation of the Logan Act by intervening in the Vietnam peace talks. He and Henry Kissinger supported a military coup to overthrow the democratically elected government of Chile. Further, his re-election campaign was marked by a series of dirty tricks aimed at Democratic candidates leading to the Watergate break-in and cover-up and his eventual resignation to avoid impeachment. Not surprisingly, Nixon’s Republican successor, Gerald R. Ford, pardoned Nixon to save him from criminal prosecution.

Like Nixon, Republican Ronald Reagan was elected, in part, as a result of his violation of the Logan Act by encouraging Iran to delay the return of U.S. hostages until after the election in return for a better deal. His Trickle-Down economic plan led to a wave of corporate consolidations that continues today, as well as tax cuts for the wealthy. He opened the door for today’s propaganda network by ending the Fairness Doctrine. And he famously created a shadow government as part of Iran-Contra Affair.

Republican George H. Bush continued Reagan’s pro-corporate economic policies and led the U.S. into a war with Iraq called Desert Storm. Republican George W. Bush reprised his father’s war with Iraq costing the U.S. 4,431 military deaths and an estimated $4 trillion. His economic policies also led to the Great Recession following the 2007 banking and real estate crash.

Finally, we get to the worst of them all: the twice-impeached Donald J. Trump.

Elected with the obvious help of Russia, the Felon-in-Chief mishandled the Covid pandemic leading to the deaths of roughly 1 million Americans. Among other illegal acts while in office, he ordered the payment of hush money to coverup an affair and sex with a porn star. He led a conspiracy to overturn his election loss through insurrection. He stole boxes of the nation’s top secrets and engaged in a coverup. Then, when he returned to office, he pardoned the insurrectionists and seditionists and sold pardons to convicted supporters.

He has engaged in self-dealing and insider trading helping his family raise between $2 and $4 billion to date. He and his cabinet have committed numerous constitutional violations. He illegally destroyed the East Wing of the White House. He has engaged the U.S. in an ill-advised and illegal war against Iran leading to out-of-control inflation. He has attacked news media and advanced the MAGA propaganda network. He imposed illegal tariffs against most of our trading partners. He has compromised relationships with our most trusted allies and NATO.

He has threatened free and fair elections. He has used the FBI and DOJ to exact vengeance against his perceived political enemies. He has ignored the climate crisis. He has tried to rewrite history to diminish our nation’s involvement in genocide and slavery. He created a large masked and heavily armed militarized force to arrest hundreds of thousands of hard-working immigrants. In the process, that force has repeatedly violated the Constitution and murdered dozens of people, including two U.S. citizens. Further, the 34-time convicted felon and litigated sexual assaulter has overseen the destruction of virtually every institution and norm that made our country great.

Seriously, why does that party continue to exist?

Where Is The Tipping Point?

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Some political pundits, even party insiders, have cautioned Democrats against beginning articles of impeachment when they take control of the House in 2019. Their line of reasoning is that the occupant of the Oval Office should be determined only by election and that a GOP-controlled Senate would never convict Trump anyway. The result of impeachment, they say, could destroy our nation.

Really? What do you think Republicans would do if the roles were reversed? I think you know the answer to that question. They would almost certainly vote for impeachment. Indeed, many called for the impeachment of President Obama simply for saving our economy from a second depression.

And there are even more important questions. What would be the impact of allowing a man guilty of multiple felonies from serving out his term? What precedent would that set? What would prevent a president from committing far more serious crimes in office. Declining to vote for articles of impeachment would say to future candidates that, if you can convince enough Americans to vote for you, you can do whatever you want as president while in office.

Consider the following:

President Richard Nixon resigned under threat of impeachment for making false or misleading statements; for withholding relevant evidence or information; for condoning and counseling witnesses to give false or misleading statements; for interfering with the conduct of investigations by the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Congressional Committees; for approving the payment of substantial sums of hush money to witnesses; for making false or misleading public statements for the purpose of deceiving the people of the United States; for causing defendants to expect favored treatment and consideration in return for their silence or false testimony.

And President Clinton was impeached for far less. After a 4-year investigation, he was impeached on one count of perjury for lying about a sexual affair and one count of obstruction for attempting to cover up that affair. He was ultimately acquitted by the Senate.

Now, let’s look at what we know about President Trump. With all of the chaos caused by his administration and the violation of norms, it’s easy to lose sight of the crimes he has committed. For example, he has been named as an unindicted co-conspirator for directing and participating in the illegal payment of hush money to two women with whom he had extramarital affairs. That means he has committed two counts of election fraud – both felonies.

During a televised interview, Trump openly admitted to obstruction of justice by saying he had fired FBI director James Comey for refusing to ignore Michael Flynn’s lies about his contacts with Russia – another felony. In a series of tweets, Trump indicated his admiration for Paul Manafort for refusing to cooperate with the Special Counsel’s office. That is witness tampering in plain sight – another felony. And we know that Trump has repeatedly lied to news reporters and the American public about his involvement in the payment of hush money – yet another example of obstruction of justice.

Additionally, we know that Trump has, on multiple occasions, violated the emoluments clause of the Constitution by receiving money from foreign visitors to his Washington DC hotel and receiving foreign investments in his family business. He and many of his appointees have violated the Hatch Act by using public office and public funds to campaign for re-election. And we know that he and many within his campaign violated the Logan Act by negotiating with a foreign government (Russia) which has a dispute with the United States.

Even without knowing what the Special Counsel has found about Trump’s role in the Russian interference in our elections, and without knowing if Trump acted on behalf of Vladimir Putin to relax sanctions against Russia, we already know that Trump has committed multiple high crimes and misdemeanors. Indeed, he has far surpassed the crimes that led to Clinton’s impeachment. And he has even surpassed Nixon’s. In 1974, those crimes were enough to force a president from office. Is the standard so much higher now? And, if so, why?

Whether or not we allow Trump to remain in office is not just about politics. It’s about the law and what we should reasonably expect from a president. Trump took an oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. He has clearly violated that oath. And if Democrats fail to vote for articles of impeachment, they will have failed to carry out their duty.