KNOW 

The Impeachment Inquiry that questioned the integrity of President Donald Trump began on Sept. 24, 2019. On Feb. 5, Trump was acquitted on all charges in the trial, including obstruction of Congress and abuse of power. Senators and House Representatives found themselves at a crossroads, attempting to determine what would put them on the right side of history, or on the “right” side of their party. 

As the trial began, there was persistent debate about how the impeachment trial would be run and whether or not the Senate would accept witnesses. Over time, the trial continued to lose credibility among Senators and U.S. citizens. Many Senators found themselves distracted, including Idaho’s own James Risch, who fell asleep during the proceedings. 

The conflict sparked increased hostility between Democrats and Republicans that will likely continue to grow. Many were appalled by Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripping up President Trump’s State of the Union address transcript, or him calling the impeachment “bull**** in a press conference after the trial ended. 

The names of many people involved have been dragged through the mud, including Republican Senator Mitt Romney, who voted in support of Impeachment Article I, abuse of power. Romney told the Atlantic, “The president did in fact pressure a foreign government to corrupt our election process, and really, corrupting an election process in a democratic republic is about as abusive and egregious an act against the Constitution—and one’s oath—that I can imagine. It’s what autocrats do.” He cited scripture and his beliefs in aiding him to make his decision, and expected backlash from his party. 

The trial has left America exhausted with political discourse, however, the conflict is definitely not over. 

In fact, Trump came out on Valentine’s Day and contradicted all of his past denials involving sending Rudy Giuliani to Ukraine, stating that he didn’t trust the FBI to do the investigation after the Mueller Report. 

CARE

Obviously impeachment is important because it’s a rare, monumental event that could potentially lead to the President of the United States being convicted of a crime. However, this impeachment trial has completely changed the definition of impeachment and the foundation of our politics in the future. This event has led to many people wondering about the credibility of our justice and congressional system and whether or not they can trust our government. On the other hand, strong supporters of Trump feel empowered; arguing that the battle is won and they are limitless.

Many speculate on how all of this will affect the upcoming general election for each presidential candidate, and the elections afterwards for House Representatives and Senators. In Romney’s case, it would be almost easy to say that reelection will be a challenge. Many conservative members of Congress have cried that the Democrats look foolish and it will affect their numbers, while the Democrats say the Republicans look brainwashed and corrupt. 

This entire process is leaving voters confused and frustrated, and the integrity of our politics shaken. 

It appears as well that President Trump is now on, what his opponents are calling, a “power trip”; essentially based on the logic that if he left the impeachment without being convicted, he can do anything. Since the trial ended Trump has offered to pardon Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, called himself the “chief law enforcement officer”, threatened lawsuits in retaliation after the Mueller Report, and discussing proceeding with the build of the infamous border wall. 

It’s important to educate yourself on this issue because it will likely affect our political climate for years to come, no matter what side you’re on. While it may be easier to not focus on these issues, the only way to be an informed voter and make your decisions for yourself is to teach yourself about these problems. Our nation is going to become quickly divided and hateful in the time leading up to the election in November, so it’s imperative that we focus on learning to make the right choices now, rather than deal with the backlash later.