To preserve rule of law and democracy, Congress must impeach President Trump

TAKUYA AMAGAI:  There is no doubt in my mind that the president is responsible for the insurrection that has left five people dead and many more injured. The question is whether legislators should pursue impeachment as an option to remove President Trump from office.

There is plenty of evidence to suggest that President Trump was responsible for causing his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol. He baselessly claimed that Democrats stole the election from him despite his nearly 60 losses in the courts. When Congress met to count the Electoral College Votes, the President told his supporters to go to the Capitol  to confront the legislators in a final bid to overturn his election loss. When his supporters broke into the U.S. Capitol, he had to be persuaded to mobilize the National Guard. He stated “We love you” to his supporters, and did not strongly denounce their violent actions at the Capitol.

It is important to note that there are less than ten days left in his term. House Democrats are planning on introducing an Article of Impeachment on Monday. Considering that the Democrats have a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, it is likely that they will be able to impeach the president. However, the U.S. Senate may not be able to reach a decision on indictment before the president’s term expires. This means that even if an impeachment is successful, there is a high degree of probability that a judgement on Indictment will not be reached before Inauguration Day. 

There are several reasons why Congress should pursue impeachment even if it may not succeed in ending President Trump’s term early. Members of Congress must send a clear message that President Trump’s actions are unacceptable and should not be emulated by any future lawmakers. While some Republicans state that impeachment is likely to further divide the country, not pursuing impeachment will send a terrible message to present and future politicians. Not pursuing impeachment gives a green light to politicians to continue pursuing illegal and violent actions in the pursuit of political power. If a President who actively fanned the flames of violence against Congress is not impeachable, what is the point of having impeachment powers? 

Casting a vote of impeachment will put Members of Congress on record of whether they believe authoritarian actions of the President is impeachable. Republicans are largely silent on whether they think anyone should be held accountable for the insurrection in the U.S. Capitol . Every Member of Congress should publicly declare whether they stand with the Constitution or President Trump. Voters deserve to know whether their representatives will follow the rule of law and democratic norms, or if they will obediently follow the leader of their party no matter the consequences of their actions.

Absent a resignation or the execution of the 25th Amendment, Congress should start impeachment proceedings against President Trump. While doing so could delay President Biden’s cabinet confirmations or legislation, this is a responsibility they cannot avoid. Congress must be on record declaring that President Trump is not above the law, no matter how many days he has left in his term. A failure to do so will only incentivize future politicians who could use violence and intimidation to seize power.

Takuya Amagai is an MPP Student in Class 2022. He is originally from Tokyo, Japan, and is a cat person.