To Impeach Or Not To Impeach

By Mano Ratwatte  – MAY 8, 2018

Mano Ratwatte

Sri Lankan PM predicatbly survived a Vote Of No Confidence. Everyone knew the outcome beforehand. President Premedasa’s impeachment moved died before it hit the Parliament floor.   In the US, Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton are the only two presidents to have been successfully impeached by the House of Representatives; both were later acquitted by the Senate. Clinton was impeached in 1998 by the House of Representatives on grounds of perjury to a grand jury (by a 228–206 vote) and obstruction of justice (by a 221–212 vote). Two other articles of impeachment failed – a second count of perjury in the Jones case (by a 205–229 vote) and one accusing Clinton of abuse of power (by a 148–285 vote) (COPIED WIKI VERBATIM)

Since Trump won, liberal Americans and the never Trump movement has been hysterical trying to overthrow Trump by legal means. The entire world is watching this TV Reality comedy. Sex stories sell. No impeachment justifiable so far. One nation interfering in another nation’s democratic institutions and elections is a far more serious issue(US does that all the time) than sex with a porn star. 

If there were campaign finance violations, that is worthy of investigation. Trump has not lied under oath yet, but is desperately flinging his lies left, right and center to obfuscate issues and block the Russia investigation; perhaps to avoid lying under Oath? But people forget about why Clinton was impeached. Those calling for Trump’s impeachment, because he lied about his sexcapades are wrong; they cite Clinton being impeached for a similar issue as the reason for impeaching Trump. That is not the correct legal argument. What Bill Clinton did was getting caught lying under oath(perjury), about an issue that came up only because of the wasted $37million dollar investigation into Whitewater scandal. 

Clinton lied under oath. Trump may refuse to take an oath to testify. Clinton’s case was more serious than the Storm(y) in a tea cup because there was more than just a hint of abuse of power; the only reason Monica performed fellatio on him is because he was President. Ironically, these Republicans are rank hypocrites and the white evangelicals are far worse, because if Obama did or said what Trump does, they would have screamed for his expulsion. Yes Republicans remember it well because they wanted him brought down in so many ways. That investigation had nothing to do with the actual act he was accused of, but they went along with it because they hated him. 

Republicans should let Mueller work unimpeded and don’t threaten the AG or Deputy AG. President Trump is also in a tizzy, making never heard before threats at hallowed Government institutions including attacking his own Department of Justice. He relentlessly insults the FBI, and even intelligence agencies who without any doubt found that Russia influenced the outcome of the 2016 election.  

Their new strategy seems is a bit like the strategy the Rajapaksa regime used to impeach the hapless Chief Justice via his Parliamentarians. Trump team’s modus operandi is to vilify and discredit Robert Mueller in the eyes of his voter base. He has a fantastic ally in Fox-News to do so. A lot of Sri Lankan UNP supporters attacked Sirasa, but Fox-news is more like a Communist Pravda for Trump and his evangelical white base.

Looking at the way some Republicans acted during the Clinton impeachment episode, one might think that somehow Republicans are more moral and have sex only for procreation by the stance they took back then, until a lot of those moral Mullahs were exposed. Congressman (now retired)Bobby Barr committed adultery; famous Newt Gingrich did, House leader Republican Henry Hyde fathered an illegitimate child while he claim moral values to impeach Clinton; all were exposed when they threw stones at Clinton. 

Clinton had so many other issues including Paula Jones(settled out of court) or what used to be called “bimbo eruptions” even as Governor of a Southern state.

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