I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.
The above oath of office was taken this January by not only the President of the United States, but also incoming U.S. Senators and all U.S. Representatives.
In the current Constitutional crisis, we recognize that President Trump has broken his oath of office by violating the Constitution through executive orders that contradict the 14th Amendment, the imprisonment and rendering of citizens and non-citizens alike, (including the nightmare scenario of a 4 year old American citizen suffering cancer) to foreign lands without due process, and illegally impounding congressionally-approved funds, just to name a few types of his violations.
Understanding the temptation of unchecked power, the forward-thinking, (excepting the enslaving) founders of our American Democracy provided a mechanism to relieve our government of a president, or other office holder(s), who broke their oath(s) to the U.S. Constitution – the Articles of Impeachment. These Revolutionaries realized that a person unfit for office might be sworn in, or a person already occupying the highest office of our land might no longer be fit to serve it, thus they created the Impeachment process and the ensuing vote from the Senate to remove the problem from office. Therefore, as terrible as his actions are, Trump violating the Constitution isn’t the crisis.
U.S. Representatives who swore the same oath to “support and defend the Constitution”, yet say and do nothing in the public presence of Trump’s crimes, very much are, however.
Under normal circumstances, this “Legislative Corner” is to be used to persuade members of DFA Gettysburg to call on legislators to vote this way or that on Bills passed by Congress or the Pennsylvania Assembly. But these aren’t normal circumstances.
Only 100 days into Trump’s second term, Michigan Democrat Representative Shri Thanedar has just filed Articles of Impeachment against President Trump, and rightly so. Some may scoff or shrug their shoulders because we’ve certainly been through this before with Trump, but when we compare the seven Articles to the 188 lawsuits filed against the Trump administration, we begin to understand that Articles of Impeachment shouldn’t have just been drawn, but drawn nearly every day of this new term.
The seven Articles Representative Thanedar drew are:
1.Obstruction of Justice and Abuse of Executive Power: Including denial of due process, unlawful deportations, defiance of court orders, and misuse of the Department of Justice.
2.Usurpation of Appropriations Power: For dismantling congressionally established agencies and impounding federal funds.
3.Abuse of Trade Powers and International Aggression: Including imposing economically damaging tariffs and threatening military invasion against sovereign nations.
4.Violation of First Amendment Rights: Through retaliatory actions against critics, media, and attorneys exercising constitutionally protected speech.
5.Creation of an Unlawful Office: By establishing the Department of Government Efficiency (“DOGE”) and unlawfully empowering Elon Musk to unilaterally violate the Constitution.
6.Bribery and Corruption: Involving dismissing criminal cases, soliciting foreign emoluments, and extortionate settlements for personal and political gain.
7.Tyrannical Overreach: Seeking to consolidate unchecked power, erode civil liberties, and defy constitutional limits on presidential authority.
And do you disagree?
No, of course you don’t.
Each and every one of these Articles rings very, very true. Even if you don’t know every particular situation, you know there are multiple examples of each kind of violation. But you don’t have to look far for this proof because you can find a catalogue of the 188 lawsuits currently filed against the Trump administration here: https://www.justsecurity.org/107087/tracker-litigation-legal-challenges-trump-administration/
and it is utterly staggering. Merely listing the topics of the lawsuits is shocking – Immigration and Citizenship, Structure of Government/Personnel, Government Grants, Loans, and Assistance, Civil Liberties and Rights, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility, Removal of Information from Government Websites, Actions against DOJ/FBI employees, Federalism, Transparency, Environment, and Trade Law.
And so, at a time when you could make calls about the SAVE Act, or the Take It Down Act, or any other Bill in Congress about anything, I can only suggest that you call on our Representative for Pennsylvania’s 13th District, John Joyce, M.D., and demand that he vote to impeach Trump for his many, many violations of our Constitution or agree that he, Joyce, is also breaking his oath and should resign.
Because without impeaching Trump and removing him from office, this crisis will only deepen and we who strive for Democracy will simply be “cornered”.