There have been 3 impeachments in US history. The first was Andrew Johnson. He was born In North Carolina and was Abe Lincoln’s Vice President. He was not liked and many in the north felt he was too lenient with the South. He was an avid practitioner of the spoils system. He wanted to remove people from Lincoln’s cabinet and replace them with cronies, friends, and people who would vote for him-sound familiar? He wanted to replace the Secretary of War (we now call it defense). Congress passed a bill-the Tenure of Office Act to protect the Secretary. Johnson vetoed it and Congress overrode the veto. Johnson removed him anyway and got impeached. He was nearly removed from office.
Next was Bill Clinton who had an affair with an intern who was a willing and consenting adult. When questioned about it under oath, he denied it had happened. Is an affair an impeachable offense? And what married man would admit it? Should he have done it? Of course not but he was hardly the first. Eisenhower was reputedly to have had an affair with his secretary, Kennedy had Marilyn Monroe, Roosevelt died in the company of his mistress and Rockefeller, while not a president was in contention for a nomination, died with his mistress. The Europeans laughed at the US over the Clinton impeachment. Here is where hypocrisy comes into it…The Republican controlled House of Representatives under the leadership of Newt Gingrich led the way. Gingrich divorced his wife who was battling cancer to marry his aid and then cheated on this new wife with another. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones”, buy that didn’t stop Newt. Is there any wonder that so many of us hold Congress is such low esteem; that a poll taken a few years ago reported a higher favorability rating for communism than for our congress. Clinton was not removed from office. Question: Did his sexual misconduct inhibit his doing the job of being president? Of course not. How things have changes. Pierre Trudeau, when Prime Minister of Canada, was asked by a reporter about his “very hot” wife hanging out with rock stars. Trudeau fixed a glare on the reporter and said, ” A gentleman would not ask a question like that and a gentleman would not answer it.” When a wife of an Ohio governor was asked about her husband’s purported marital indiscretion said it was none of the reporter’s business. It was a private matter between her and her husband and it had no effect on running Ohio.
Our third was the impeachment of Donald Trump who was impeached for trying to get a foreign country to interfere on his behalf in the coming presidential election. A much more serious accusation than Clintons. With the Republicans controlling the Senate it was a foregone conclusion that they were not going to find him guilty even though it was apparent that he did what he was accused of. Only Mitt Romney voted guilty. The Republican Senators were more interested in getting re-elected than in doing the right thing. They were cowards and afraid of Trump. Shame.
Impeaching Clinton for having consensual sex and lying about it was ridiculous and he never should have been questioned about it. Trump’s conduct was impeachable and if the Senate did its duty in holding the President accountable, we would have a new president. This weakens Congress and strengthens a :wannabe” authoritarian.