Letters

The House Democrats presented their case. We all listened or watched or read about it to some extent. They argued that he is who he is and is not going to stop. He had put his own political interests above those of the country and must be removed from office.

Ironically, it is this very behavior that has actually helped lubricate a government that needed reform. Trump challenged the status quo in Washington, D.C., from the onset of his candidacy. I agree he is guilty of being exactly who he is: an unorthodox, self-motivated, uninhibited individualist who refuses to go along to get along.

Should he be removed for these traits? No.

There is an election coming soon to test the appetite of our citizens for more Trump or not. Let the people decide.

There will be strong legal arguments made to defend the independence of the presidency and its powers under our Constitution. There is the argument that even if the president attempted to use U.S. foreign policy for his personal political advantage, it isn’t illegal, it wasn’t unique to this president, and it doesn’t rise to a high enough bar to warrant removal of the most successful chief executive we have had since Ronald Reagan.

The second article of this impeachment is the obstruction issue, with regard to allowing testimony and documents to be collected from the Executive Branch by House investigators. The president is guilty again — guilty of defending the constitutional authority of the presidency to protect itself from unwarranted seizures of classified and private information by politically motivated fishing expeditions designed to embarrass and weaken a president. The House investigators had the courts to resort to if they could prove special circumstances required access to records. They chose not to and so have only themselves to blame if they are not satisfied with the case they developed. This article of impeachment was inconclusive at best.

On another subject: Phil Keith [“The 28th Amendment,” Mostly Right, Opinion, January 23], look out your window — the white coats are outside, preparing to take you to your new padded room. In your new surroundings, you will finally not have to worry about Donald Trump anymore. You will have the starring role in your own version of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”

Ed Surgan

Westhampton