Not too soon to start impeachment

Before the election, Donald Trump made it clear that he had no intention to “faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States” or to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” He had already taken large quantities of official government documents, including classified material and refused to return it. He stated his intentions not to abide by the North Atlantic Treaty and to “be a dictator” on his first day. Of course, he had arguably engaged in insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, and should be constitutionally ineligible to be President.

Since then, he has potentially violated numerous laws passed by Congress, including civil service laws, the Hatch Act, emergency response laws, the Posse Comitatus Act, the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (establishing USAID), the recent “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act,” and the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. He has violated fundamental fiscal law by committing the government to pay for work not performed, with no supporting appropriations or other legal authority. He has turned over classified and Privacy Act information to persons who do not appear to be elected, appointed or employed by the United States, in violation of the applicable statutes and regulations, endangering the privacy, employment, and personal safety of actual government employees. Finally, he has completely usurped the authority of Congress to set national policy and destroyed the international order by threatening wars of conquest against friendly nations (incidentally validating the similar aggressive actions of Russia and China).

These are the actions of a despot, not a President. What more does it take? Is Congress content to be the irrelevant lapdogs of a bombastic tyrant? We are no longer “a government of laws, not of men.” Impeachment should begin now.

Steven Gruenwald

Schaumburg