Down to the wire

By Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq. (Ret.)
TriceEdneyWire.com Columnist

Few knowledgeable politicians or citizens will deny the link between the threat to impeach Richard Nixon and the eventual impeachment of William Jefferson Clinton. Misusing a common, contemporary descriptor, “Payback is a Witch!!” The only “real” reason for Clinton’s impeachment at that time is because the Republican House of Representatives majority had the votes for impeachment. Before then, they had an insufficient number of votes to sustain that action. Clinton’s 1993 impeachment effort was seminal, if for no other reason than, to illuminate the corruption to which the Republican party would stoop to win/retain power while exercising their passion for political retribution.

History informs us that Nixon was an unscrupulous, corrupt politician whose primary goal was self-interest. This fact is illuminated by his direction of the Watergate break-in and his interference in the Paris (Vietnamese) Peace Talks. His evident guilt in the Watergate incident was sufficient to inspire a delegation of members of his own party (Republican) to encourage his resignation. He was guilty as sin, and everyone knew it!

Don’t get me wrong, I deplore the moral turpitude of Clinton. His conduct besmirched the image of the presidency, but the conduct of Nixon crossed into the realm of criminality. The impeachment of Clinton became the means of retaliation for the threatened impeachment and resignation of Nixon, and the Republican Party’s declaration of exemption from the “rule of law.”

Fifty years later, it is obvious that the perception of their exemption from the rule of law is the rule rather than the exception among the leadership AND “rank and file” of the Republican Party. The corruption and criminality of Trump, their current standard bearer, is the only evidence needed to reach that conclusion. With few exceptions, the willingness of Republicans to justify and defend Trump’s lawlessness paints a clear picture of how far they are willing to go to impose their ideals and will upon the majority of Americans.

Trump’s obvious willingness to ignore the requirements of the law by refusing to return presidential records and classified documents was bad enough, but, adding to his 20K plus volume of lies, he declared that all required documents had been returned. Admissions and facts also show that Trump attempted to involve his legal team in his web of lies.

What is most egregious to me, my friends and those concerned about national security is how Trump played, and is playing, fast and loose with secrets of national defense and intelligence. Friends who have served in the military have explained to me that had they handled classified materials in the same manner as alleged by Trump, their careers would have ended with the certainty of punishment.

Some have forgotten that Trump’s legal concerns involve more than just his misappropriated documents. The legal entanglements related to Stormy Daniels continue to be a thorn in Trump’s side. Also, let us not forget Trump’s audiotaped telephone conversation with Georgia’s Secretary of State, as I interpret it, soliciting extra-legal assistance in creating 11,000+ votes to secure a Trump election victory. He (Trump) has been arraigned for one of these charges and awaits an indictment determination for the other.

Although Trump continues to deny any wrongdoing in this affair, sufficient facts have surfaced to credibly refute his protestations. And, yet, as they seemingly ignore or are unable/unwilling to see his criminality, his political allies continue to protest his ongoing criminal prosecution. Even worse, his standing among Republican voters has not diminished. Only a handful acknowledges his obvious criminality.

With the current malignant thinking of most Republicans, one can only wonder how they will reconcile future involvement in our established democratic processes with the conflicts of principle they have created. Or will they work to destroy their dreaded SYSTEM?

This article originally published in the June 26, 2023 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.