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elleng

(130,156 posts)
Tue Apr 23, 2019, 03:27 PM Apr 2019

The Mueller Report Was My Tipping Point.

'I was a Trump transition staffer, and I’ve seen enough. It’s time for impeachment.

J. W. Verret
Professor of law at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School

Let’s start at the end of this story. This weekend, I read Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report twice, and realized that enough was enough—I needed to do something. I’ve worked on every Republican presidential transition team for the past 10 years and recently served as counsel to the Republican-led House Financial Services Committee. My permanent job is as a law professor at the George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School, which is not political, but where my colleagues have held many prime spots in Republican administrations.

If you think calling for the impeachment of a sitting Republican president would constitute career suicide for someone like me, you may end up being right. But I did exactly that this weekend, tweeting that it’s time to begin impeachment proceedings. . .

I wanted to share my experience transitioning from Trump team member to pragmatist about Trump to advocate for his impeachment, because I think many other Republicans are starting a similar transition. Politics is a team sport, and if you actively work within a political party, there is some expectation that you will follow orders and rally behind the leader, even when you disagree. There is a point, though, at which that expectation turns from a mix of loyalty and pragmatism into something more sinister, a blind devotion that serves to enable criminal conduct.

The Mueller report was that tipping point for me, and it should be for Republican and independent voters, and for Republicans in Congress. In the face of a Department of Justice policy that prohibited him from indicting a sitting president, Mueller drafted what any reasonable reader would see as a referral to Congress to commence impeachment hearings.

Depending on how you count, roughly a dozen separate instances of obstruction of justice are contained in the Mueller report. The president dangled pardons in front of witnesses to encourage them to lie to the special counsel, and directly ordered people to lie to throw the special counsel off the scent.

This elaborate pattern of obstruction may have successfully impeded the Mueller investigation from uncovering a conspiracy to commit more serious crimes. At a minimum, there’s enough here to get the impeachment process started. In impeachment proceedings, the House serves as a sort of grand jury and the Senate conducts the trial. There is enough in the Mueller report to commence the Constitution’s version of a grand-jury investigation in the form of impeachment proceedings.'>>>

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/04/gop-staffer-advocates-trumps-impeachment/587785/?

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The Mueller Report Was My Tipping Point. (Original Post) elleng Apr 2019 OP
Couldn't agree more with this article. We must start the impeachment investigation hearings now. SunSeeker Apr 2019 #1
I hope but don't believe BigmanPigman Apr 2019 #2
Hopeful elleng Apr 2019 #5
The "Antonin Scalia Law School"? Here? In *MY* state? Blue_Tires Apr 2019 #3
Yes, been there for a while. elleng Apr 2019 #4
Aka The "ASS" of Law as it was first known, until quickly changed appalachiablue Apr 2019 #6

BigmanPigman

(51,432 posts)
2. I hope but don't believe
Tue Apr 23, 2019, 05:19 PM
Apr 2019

many Repubs are having the same realization.

"I wanted to share my experience transitioning from Trump team member to pragmatist about Trump to advocate for his impeachment, because I think many other Republicans are starting a similar transition. "

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