By Victoria Gill
Opinion Editor
The White House’s refusal to help with the impeachment inquiry, and to even mess with it, is a breach of the Constitution. The American people’s trust is faltering.
What does this mean? The voices of the American people are not being heard, even with all the rallying. The people are not being properly represented by their government. What and why is the government trying to hide from the public?
The White House letter regarding the inquiry, written by Pat. A. Cipollone, counsel to the president, states President Trump’s own rights as a citizen have been violated as well with no due process when this inquiry has been attempted to be investigated.
Yet, President Trump has not been officially charged with anything, without his approval, the White House refused to help with the investigation.
As stated by the Department of Justice on their website, President Trump has the right to cross-examine, call upon any witness, and present his own evidence.
While this investigation was prompted by a call with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, the White House pulled a leading witness, Gordon Sondland, ambassador of the European Union for the United States.
According to the letter, “the Committees have also resorted to threats and intimidation against potential Executive Branch witnesses.”
However, this is what the Trump Administration has been doing to citizens and foreigners since his arrival into office. The letter states that another reason this inquiry is occurring is to reverse the 2016 election and influence the 2020 election.
Even the scandal of possible impeachment has these effects to do so. This letter even went far enough to say that President Trump deserves to be in office because that is what the American people want. However, according to an article by Lina Qiu in the New York Times, the president’s tweet about only 25% of people wanting him impeached is incorrect. The Washington Post-Schar School poll actually stated 58% want the impeachment inquiry while 49% want him impeached
The level of support toward impeachment has increased from Sept. 19 to Oct. 1 from 40.1 to 49.3%.
“There must never be a narrowly voted impeachment or an impeachment supported by one of our major political parties and opposed by another. Such an impeachment will produce divisiveness and bitterness in our politics for years to come, and will call into question the very legitimacy of our political institutions,” writes Cipollone.
However, there is already a divide between citizens and bitterness toward politics pop up on every social media platform whenever a scandal, such as this one, rises to the surface.
“The public is rapidly becoming acquainted with the reality that impeachment is a political process, not an ordinary legal one,” New York Times reporter Daniel McCarthy said.
But if Trump is in impeached, this would mean Mike Pence would take his place.
Regardless of all the strife President Trump brings to the political and social life of everyday citizens, the climate of DC government is so Republican at the moment that having Pence step foot into office, with his homophobic and misogynistic beliefs could provoke actual damage to all the rallying about gun laws, physical autonomy, climate change, and gay rights.
The public life of politics, in reality, has mixed impeachment — a political process — with a not ordinarily legal process. Now that it is very public, there should be a greater demand from the populace to be heard about the main problems in this country.
Overall, it is up for the American people to demand a proper investigation as Trump is finally held responsible for his actions and shady business as president.