A Former Diplomat's Call to Action: Impeachment
Our co-founder, Allie Saunier & Dad
Growing up, I couldn’t have told you if my father was a registered Republican or a Democrat. My Dad was a career foreign service officer for administrations of both political parties during his 30-year career at the State Department. Despite politics and current events being regular dinner conversation he kept his personal opinions about our elected officials to himself and never once made any disparaging comments about either party. Knowing firsthand how seriously he took his oath to defend the Constitution of the United States, no matter what party was in power, I found it particularly difficult to witness some of our elected officials recently attempt to smear and malign career diplomats like Marie Yovanovitch, William Taylor, and George Kent. It was equally disappointing to see Mike Pompeo’s failure to defend his people, public servants who have spent their professional careers tirelessly, dedicated to promoting the ideals of this great nation while protecting it and its standing on the world stage.
My father went on to have a second career as a college professor and currently teaches international relations at the School of International Affairs at Penn State University. Knowing his unique perspective, we asked him (someone with 30 years of diplomatic experience and a lifetime of loving this country) to comment on President Trump’s Impeachment.
--- From Allie’s Dad: Former U.S. Ambassador and Professor of International Affairs, Penn State University
If conducted under the rules proposed by Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, the impeachment trial may well be the biggest injustice in American history. It would certainly go down as the worst assault our democracy has ever endured. Many pundits claim the American public is too disinterested and distracted to pay attention to the process, or that the issues are too complicated or the case too weak for the average person to care. I hope and believe that not to be true. Because if it is, it demonstrates that those Americans do not deserve the democracy they enjoy. Democracy is not a spectator sport. It is like a muscle. You either exercise it or it gets weaker.
Do the American people really want future presidents, be they Democrat or Republican, to be able to call up foreign leaders and solicit their interference in our elections? Trump's invitation to Russia to do so during the campaign was taken by some to have been made in jest. His call to the president of Ukraine was no joke. When that president asked about military aid to help resist the Russian invasion of his country, Trump replied: "I would like you to do us a favor though." The favor being the announcement of an investigation of a fraudulent charge against his potential Democratic opponent in next year's election.
A foreign contribution of something of value to an election campaign is illegal. Withholding aid appropriated by Congress on the basis of whatever presidential whim is illegal. And denying the ability of Congress to perform any oversight by refusing to provide documents or witnesses on executive branch actions reduces Congress to nothing more than a debate club.
The viability of American democracy hangs in the balance. Any American interested in preserving it should pay attention this week and let their senators and congressmen know that they are.
Ambassador Dennis Jett (Ret.), Ph.D.