Another conservative lawyer group says ‘impeachment is legitimate’

A group of sixteen prominent conservative and libertarian lawyers who formed a group called “Check and Balances” are adding their voice for the rule of law.  In an article by William Cumming in USA Today called “Conservative lawyers: Impeachment is ‘legitimate,’ a group led by George Conway, released a statement which included the following:

“‘We believe the acts revealed publicly over the past several weeks are fundamentally incompatible with the president’s oath of office, his duties as commander in chief, and his constitutional obligation to take care that the laws be faithfully executed.’ They added Trump’s acts formed ‘a legitimate basis for an expeditious impeachment investigation.'”

This announcement is on top of the one reported in the Huffington Post by “Republicans for the Rule of Law.” Per the Huffington Post, “‘Republicans in Congress must condemn this behavior without reservation,’ Chris Truax, a legal adviser for Republicans for the Rule of Law, said in a statement to HuffPost. He continued:
‘It is no longer about whether Republicans believe President Trump or whether they support his policies. It’s about whether they support his admitted abuse of power and his efforts to secure a foreign government’s help in an American election.’”

It is not just Democrats and an increasing number of Independents. A recent survey by The Washington Post and ABC News noted 28% of Republicans support the impeachment proceedings with 18% of Republicans supporting removal of Donald Trump as president.

As other ambassadors testify building on the courage of ousted Ukraine Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch’s testimony under oath, Republican legislators will have a tough decision. It should not be understated that Yovanovitch testified under oath knowing the president is a vindictive person. So, when Trump and his toadies continue to discredit this well-thought-of diplomat who served six presidents, remember it is a crime to lie under oath to Congress.

If that were not enough, two arrests of Rudy Guiliani’s associates were made last week. In addition to campaign finance violations, they also tried to help build a false narrative to oust Yovanovitch. Interesting.

 

A few quotes from Conservatives need wider coverage

As an independent voter, having been a member of both parties, I seek to find the truth and facts beneath the politics. The tribal nature requires its bellringers to denounce any criticism or facts that get in the way of their winning. The US president does this frequently with his claims of fake news when he does not like what is being said.

What concerns me is we have a president who has a modus operandi of heretofore questionable and dubious behavior to further his personal cause. Yet, the claims of fake news heightened by the narrative it is Democrats that are behind this. What I have observed is an increasing number of conservative voices who are exhibiting greater courage to speak out against actions and words of this president.

Here are a few that resonate with me:

Elsa Alcala, a former Texas judge, decided to leave the Republican party this summer, alienated by Trump’s  latest attacks on Democratic representatives of color, three of whom were born in the United States. “Even accepting that Trump has had some successes (and I believe these are few), at his core, his ideology is racism,” the 55-year-old retired judge wrote Monday in a Facebook post. “To me, nothing positive about him could absolve him of his rotten core,” as reported by The Washington Post.

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley, a long-time defender of whistleblowers and a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, pushed back Tuesday against the president’s call to identify the person who filed a complaint about his July phone call with the Ukrainian president. “This person appears to have followed the whistleblower protection laws and ought to be heard out and protected. We should always work to respect whistleblowers’ requests for confidentiality,” the senior senator from Iowa said in a news release as reported by USA Today.

Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger of Illinois noted in response to the president retweeting a comment by an evangelical minister that a civil war would result if he was impeached. “I have visited nations ravaged by civil war,” the Illinois lawmaker tweeted. “I have never imagined such a quote to be repeated by a President. This is beyond repugnant,” as reported by USA Today.

Chris Truax, legal advisor to Republicans for the Rule of Law noted last week, “Republicans in Congress must condemn this behavior without reservation. It is no longer about whether Republicans believe President Trump or whether they support his policies. It’s about whether they support his admitted abuse of power and his efforts to secure a foreign government’s help in an American election,” said in a statement to Huffington Post.

Nebraska Republican State Senator John McCollister, wrote in an email sent to his supporters, “The Republican Party is enabling white supremacists in our country. As a lifelong Republican, it pains me to say this, but it’s true. I of course am not suggesting that all Republicans are white supremacists, nor am I saying that the average Republican is even racist.”

Acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire during Congressional testimony said “I want to stress I believe the whistleblower and the inspector general have acted in good faith throughout.” Maguire also agreed with Texas Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro’s assertion that the whistleblower’s complaint is “remarkably consistent” with the transcript released by the Trump administration. “I would say that the whistleblower’s complaint is in alignment with what was released by the president yesterday,” Maguire said as reported by Fortune.

Fox News anchor Chris Wallace called out “astonishing” and “deeply misleading” spin from President Donald Trump’s defenders over the whistleblower complaint on his contacts with Ukraine. He also criticized White House advisor Stephen Miller in an interview for Miller’s “obfuscation of the truth.”

Former National Economic Advisor Gary Cohn confessed to two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Bob Woodward in his book “Fear,” saying Trump is a “prodigious liar.”

Former Trump attorney and fixer Michael Cohen said the following under oath to a Congressional committee, “Donald Trump is a racist, he is a con-artist and he is a cheat.”

I am a fiscally conservative and social progressive voter. This is why I have been a member of both parties. I do not mind people being more conservative or progressive than me on issues. What I do care about is focusing on facts and truth.

I share these comments as there has been a purposeful reaction to distract from the truth to protect this president by his supporters. This is in part due to the media reporting everything the president does or says that is not accurate or appropriate. I wish they would focus more on the big lies as we have become inured (and even weary) to the unending inappropriate tweets and comments. Obstructing justice and abusing powers is a big thing.

Republicans for the Rule of Law condemn Trump behavior (and obstruction) with Ukraine

As reported in Huffington Post this weekend, a group called Republicans for the Rule of Law is encouraging Republicans to remember their better angels. Here is a reprint:

“Now, dozens of Republican lawmakers have been targeted for TV and digital ads in a $1 million campaign that will begin running this weekend in their home districts. Among the first subjects are Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) and Sen. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.).
The advocacy group behind the ads, Republicans for the Rule of Law, is a project of Defending Democracy Together, an organization that counts conservative commentator and noted Trump critic William Kristol as a co-director. Other directors include Linda Chavez, who served in the Reagan administration, and Christine Todd Whitman, who served as Environmental Protection Agency administrator under President George W. Bush.

‘Republicans in Congress must condemn this behavior without reservation,’ Chris Truax, a legal adviser for Republicans for the Rule of Law, said in a statement to HuffPost. He continued:

‘It is no longer about whether Republicans believe President Trump or whether they support his policies. It’s about whether they support his admitted abuse of power and his efforts to secure a foreign government’s help in an American election.’

The black-and-white 30-second ads are similar, but customized for each lawmaker. ‘The country is in crisis,’ the ads warn. They slam Trump’s actions as an ‘abuse of power’ and warn it will happen again ‘unless Republicans … stand up and say it’s wrong.'”

This article speaks volumes. Please help the message get heard. My hope is Republicans will listen to these Republicans.

 

Courage should be applauded

In the first Harry Potter movie, points were awarded to the young boy who stood up to his friends saying what you are doing is wrong. We should reflect on his courage.

Representative Justin Amash used Independence Day to announce his independence from rhe Republican Party. He cited the hyper-partisan nature of both parties. This follows his lone voice in the Republican caucus saying the president has committee impeachable offenses. No one else in the House or Senate GOP caucus joined him.

His courage should be applauded. He knew he would get a huge push back from a vindictive president and his sycophants. After his announcement yesterday, true to form, the president called him the “dumbest” member of Congress and said good riddance.

Setting aside the president’s typical childish and fact-starved retorts, let’s focus on four points.

– First, Amash is an attorney. People may not care for attorneys, but calling them dumb is not a good defense.

– Second, Amash read rhe Mueller Report. That makes him an outlier, in general, and from this president, who is renowned for not having the patience to study anything.

Third, of many offenses, Amash points to the president ordering White Counsel Don McGahn to alter the record to show the president did not order the firing of Robert Mueller. That is clear obstruction of justice among several others and Amash said it showed deceit.

– Fourth, he felt Attorney General William Barr’s whitewashing of the report is a disservice to Americans.

It should be noted two significant groups of people agree. Republicans for the Rule of Law feel there are grounds for impeachment and have forwarded each member of Congress a highlighted copy of the Mueller Report. Also, over 1,000 former federal prosecutors have signed a letter calling for the same.

The president’s followers tout his toughness. I believe they are mistaking his false bravado for toughness. Lack of accountabilty, lack of truthfulness, lack of decency and lack of courage to fire someone to their face are all evidence to support my contention. When I think of this president, toughness or character are not top of mind.

Amash is standing up against a fervent base of people. His fellow Republican lawmakers should be ashamed for their sycophancy. They know Amash is right, with many saying so privately, but are too scared to publicly agree. Some will even abet the president’s crime by trying to vilify Mueller when he testifies later in the month. Members of both parties applauded Mueller when he was appointed as a man of integrity – please keep that in mind.

Ending with another movie, “The Post,” about The Washington Post publishing the Pentagon Papers after The New York Times was barred from doing so, Katherine Graham is cautioned by a friend who worked for the then president not to run afoul of Richard Nixon. He used the term “ruthless” among more colorful metaphors. Amash knows Trump is ruthless, so his courage is not unlike Ms. Graham’s. Please let your Senators and Congressional representatives know how much you admire Amash’s courage. It is rare.

Reach out and touch…our leaders with your concerns

I have been in contact with the offices of sixteen Republican Senators to share my concerns about an American problem, not a Democrat or Republican one. I am also going to send the following email to several Democrat Senators.

If you agree with my mission, please feel free to adapt the following to suit your style and message. The staff I speak with say they are hearing from others with these concerns. Calls are better than emails, as you can actually converse and share your frustration.

“Dear Senator, thank you for your service. I am independent and former Republican voter who is following closely a group called Republicans for the Rule of Law. This group is pushing Congress to strongly consider two issues and are sending highlighted copies of the Mueller report to each member.

First, the Senate should move forward a vote on the bipartisan election security bill. It is very perturbing the Senate leader is standing against such a vote. The Russians influenced our 2016 election and already working on 2020.

Second, they side with the courageous statement by GOP Congressman Justin Amash that there are grounds for impeachment in the Mueller report. It should be noted a bipartisan group of 1,000 plus former federal prosecutors agree.

This is not just a Democrat issue, it is an American issue. We are not a kingdom, we are a republic. And, no one is above the law, even the president.

I have shared with my Republican Senators the above. I am concerned for our democracy and our planet, as our credibility has waned around the globe with this untruthful president. Please act.”

Thanks for your time and interest.