If Congress were to launch impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, the hearings would last up to the eve of the 2020 election.
So instead of having an election on issues such as affordable health care, jobs and the environment, the focus would be on the divisive drama, further rending us as a country.
Not all Democratic leaders are chomping at the bit to begin proceedings against the president now that the long-awaited report by special counsel Robert S. Mueller has, save the redactions, been released.
Yes, the evidence is damning, reinforcing what news reports have told us all along in that Mr. Trump has no respect for the truth and that were it not for his aides running interference, Mr. Trump could have undermined the investigation of Russias complicity with the 2016 election.
That Mr. Mueller did not find any criminal conduct in terms of Mr. Trump conspiring with the Russians is small consolation.
The report did, after all, cite multiple links between Trump Campaign officials and individuals tied to the Russian government, including Russian offers of assistance to the Campaign, some of which the Trump campaign accepted.
Thats not an exoneration, as Mr. Trump has claimed.
For more than 10 years, U.S. officials have tracked Russian interference with U.S. elections. President Barack Obama chose to stick his head in the sand over the issue. And now Mr. Trump thumbs his nose at increasing evidence for fear it would delegitimize his election.
National security should not be a partisan issue. Foreign nations should not be allowed to participate in U.S. elections by purchasing online advertisements, organizing rallies, or conducting research or polling on candidates, which, as it did with the Trump campaign, then offer for its personal gain.
THE CURTAIN has been pulled back not only on Mr. Trump, but also on U.S. politics.
We are at our nadir.
To go forward, we must ensure our elections are not compromised by foreign nations by not only beefing up our cyber capacities but also enforcing our laws against those who violate U.S. policies. Russia must be viewed as the enemy it is.
And we must take to heart whats at stake.
Our U.S. Constitution demands from us a constant adherence to principles of truth and justice. To our discredit, we have become lax in insisting on those democratic values.
We can do better. Our countrys future depends on it.
Susan Lynn
