Don't use impeachment as political weapon

"If the president has something that is exculpatory - Mr. President, that means you have anything that shows your innocence - then he should make that known and that's part of the inquiry," Pelosi said.

Let that sink in for a moment. A central tenet of the U.S. justice system is that an accused is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. What is most frightening about her statement is that it shows the lengths she and many in her party will go to to overturn the will of voters who handed Donald Trump a victory in 2016.

I understand that the impeachment inquiry is not a trial, but the presumption of innocence should be applicable if the democrats want to avoid the appearance of a show trial. Such trials are commonplace in countries where they are used to suppress the views of unpopular citizens or political figures.

Like those who support many of our president's policies, I am not supportive of his arrogance, his petulance and his shoot-from-the-hip style. That said, I'm far less supportive of those who have harassed him and pushed for impeachment since before he took the oath of office. If the American people find his governance not to their liking, they should simply vote him out of office.

I wonder if the Democrats have considered what may happen when a future Democrat is elected to the presidency and the Republicans gain control of the House. Will the Republicans search under every rock to find impeachable offenses?

I would hope not, but politicians and political parties can be very vindictive when it suits their purposes. Our Founding Fathers argued long and hard as to whether a provision for impeachment should be codified in our Constitution. What they all agreed on was that impeachment should never be used solely as a political weapon.

David Carrell

Campton Hills