Many people have been comparing the Trump impeachment and the Clinton impeachment. I allude to the quote from Gertrude Stein very deliberately and ironically.
Please let’s remember the important difference that the House and Senate impeached President William Jefferson Clinton because he lied about blowjobs with Monica Lewinsky — consensual sexual behavior between two adults.
The House impeached President Donald J. Trump because he bribed the President of Ukraineand then obstructed the Congressional investigation into his act of bribery. The US Constitution calls out bribery, per se, as an impeachable offense. These are matters affecting US national security.
The editorial boards of more than a dozen publications have concluded that impeaching Trump was appropriate. Even Christianity Today, founded by the late Rev. Billy Graham, has recommended removing Trump from office.
In its editorial, the magazine said, “Let’s grant this to the president: The Democrats have had it out for him from day one, and therefore nearly everything they do is under a cloud of partisan suspicion. This has led many to suspect not only motives but facts in these recent impeachment hearings. And, no, Mr. Trump did not have a serious opportunity to offer his side of the story in the House hearings on impeachment.
“But the facts in this instance are unambiguous: The president of the United States attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the president’s political opponents. That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral.”
“Until recently,” USA Today wrote, “we believed that impeachment proceedings would be unhealthier for an already polarized nation than simply leaving Trump’s fate up to voters next November.”
The Trump impeachment is as different from the Clinton impeachment as night is different from day. They are so different, that in fact, comparing them is absurdly laughable.