Senate, House and Parties Argue Fairness in Impeachment Trial

Posted on by Connor Haugen

Update: The second day of the trial is underway where the Democrats are now arguing how Trump abused his power and why.

Trump’s impeachment trial has begun, and both Republicans and Democrats say that the process has been “unfair.” Both are arguing lack of evidence, time and due process. As of this moment, there has been little evidence from both sides.

“There isn’t a witness on either side that you can call that can inject fairness and due process into a process that had none,” said Rep. John Ratcliffe in an interview with Fox News. He went on to say that Nixon’s lawyers had more time to bring forth evidence and work with him every step of the way. According to John, who announced he will join Trump’s legal team, said that out of the 78 day process Trump’s lawyers have only had 7 to work with the president.

There has been much controversy and talk of impeachment since day one for Trump. The constitution lists that “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors,” are impeachable offenses. Currently in questions for abuse of power and obstruction of congress, Some have questioned “high crimes and misdemeanors,” as being to vague.

“It’s only happened twice and so the general thought is that it means whatever the House and the Senate think it means,” Said Suzanne Sherry, a law professor in constitutional law, in an article from ABC news. It is stated in the constitution that the senate does have the right to call the president and hold trial for impeachment. During this trial however, no senator is allowed to speak.

What this means for the elections

As stated in another article here, Trump’s approval ratings are still high with 42.3% approval rating. If this is handled poorly by the democrats it will be a major blow to the party.

Since no solid evidence has been brought forth yet and we are still in the arguments for how to run the trial, it is still too early to say what will happen. One thing is certain, if Trump is acquitted this will possibly discredit the democratic party for the upcoming elections. Trump will also use this to reinforce the views of the trial as a “witch hunt.”

Killing of Iranian General and the Elections

Posted on by Connor Haugen

An Iranian General, Qassem Soleimani, was recently killed in a U.S. drone strike. This has sparked greater tensions in the middle east. Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a recent report by ABC News, even cried along with thousands that crowded the street during the generals funeral.

“Soleimani was plotting imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and military personnel.” Said Donald Trump. The attack was in retaliation to an American contractor being killed by an Iranian-backed militia one week earlier. Many others in the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill also stated that Qassem was a threat that needed to be neutralized. Many believe this to be a way to deter attacks and not provoke them.

Democratic candidates on the other hand are backing the Anti-war train like Pete Buttigieg and Tulsi Gabbard. Pete having a military background stated that there are unforeseen repercussions that could occur. Bernie sanders voted in 2002 against the war in Iraq which he used as a log on the political flame.

“This is a dangerous escalation that brings [The United States] closer to another disastrous war in the middle east,” Said Bernie Sanders. “ [This will] cost trillions more dollars, and lead to even more death[s],”

While some Democrats are condemning the assassination, others are backing the assassination such as Joe Biden, Former VP to Obama and current leader of the democratic party. Joe agrees that Qassem needed to be “Brought to justice for his crimes,” but also agrees that this is a dangerous situation we have put ourselves in. We have yet to see the approval ratings for each candidate following these events.

What This could Mean for the Future Presidency

How this will affect the polls has yet to be seen, understanding that it was in retaliation to an American contractor being murdered helps, but Qassem was Iran’s top general, and killing him is as close to a declaration of war as any. Given the reports of Pew, it is safe to assume that Americans don’t want another Desert Storm on their hands.

Image sourced from https://www.pewresearch.org/

If there is a war that starts in Iran, Trump may have a good chance to win. Many presidents like Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt and even Abraham Lincoln were re-elected during wartime. Though in recent history this has yet to hold up since during the Vietnam war and the War on Terror we have seen many different presidents.

The match has been lit, we will wait with baited breath to see if Trump burns his hand or lights the fire for re-election.