To the editor:

After three years, Democrats in control of the House of Representatives finally made good on their efforts to impeach President Trump. Don’t kid yourself. House Democrats Nancy Pelosi, Jerry Nadler and Adam Schiff are not sincere when they stand before the microphones and say Democrats are sad and take no pleasure in impeaching Trump. During the last days of the hearing held by the House Judiciary Committee some Democrats were seen paying more attention to their cell phones than the hearing proceedings and Chairman Nadler fell asleep, at least twice. Democrats have spoken openly and vehemently of their desire to impeach Trump and some, like House Democrats Maxine Waters and Al Green, were calling for impeachment in Trump’s first year in office. Many of the first term Democrats newly elected to the House in 2018 were calling for impeachment. I remember in particular Representative Rashida Tlaib, D-Michigan, who, shortly after being sworn in, stated “we’re gonna go in there, we’re gonna impeach the (expletive).

When President Clinton, a Democrat, was impeached in December 1998 the House was controlled by Republicans. With bipartisan voting, some House Democrats voting for and some House Republicans voting against, Clinton was impeached on two articles, one of perjury to a grand jury and one of obstruction of justice. A second charge of perjury and a charge of abuse of power failed to pass in the House. Clinton was then acquitted in the Senate where 67 votes (Republicans held only 55 seats) were needed to remove Clinton from office and where not one Democrat voted guilty on either charge.

So, with majority control in the House, the Democrats voted to impeach. But unlike with Clinton in 1998 this vote in the House to impeach Trump was not on a bipartisan basis. No Republican voted to impeach. Now it is on to the Senate where the Democrats are in the minority but that is not likely to matter because of the need for 67 votes. While the Democrats are giddy about their drive to impeach Trump in the House, their effort to overturn the 2016 election will fail in the Senate.

The “resistance” to Trump will continue full-speed-ahead. I believe the Democrats will do anything they can in the 2020 election year to undermine growth in the economy and the creation of jobs and will oppose most anything Trump wants to do.

Chuck Peterson

Fort Dodge