Alexander Hamilton worried that impeachment would hinge not on guilt or innocence but solely on the balance of power in the House of Representatives. As we know now, he was right.
Impeachment hearings against President Trump have been conducted in secret. Democrats have denied the president his right to due process of law. He does not know his accuser. The proceedings are cloaked in darkness, depriving voters of access to vital facts. Democrats have violated the fundamental precepts of American justice.
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The public has not been taking the hearings seriously; only 3% bothered to watch the boring charade. And not a single Republican voted for impeachment. Not one — it is a Democratic Party affair.
This is what we call a “star chamber.” Who is the accuser? That is a secret. They say he is a whistleblower, but he has no name. Was he cross-examined? No, he is cloaked in anonymity. No court in America would deny any defendant the right to confront his accusers. Not one.
What did Democratic witnesses say when they testified? Some disliked the president, but they testified that there was no crime. No high crime. No misdemeanor. Nothing.
And Republican witnesses? None were allowed. Democrats denied Trump the right to call witnesses on his behalf. No court in America would deny any other defendant the right to call witnesses on his behalf. Not one.
The president is charged with “obstruction of Congress” for challenging House-issued subpoenas. That is not even a crime. And no court in America would deny any other defendant the right to challenge the validity of a subpoena. Not one.
Trump is on trial for inquiring into possible corruption by Joe Biden and his drug-addicted son, Hunter. As vice president, Joe Biden threatened to withhold $1 billion in desperately needed aid to Ukraine unless it fired the prosecutor investigating a natural gas firm where Biden’s son held a lucrative position. The law holds no man above investigation because of his lofty position. Not Trump. Not Biden. No one.
Amid impeachment, Democrats are reaping what they have sowed. They have grown weaker and Trump has grown stronger as this miscarriage of justice has unfolded. Democrats have brought disgrace upon the House and upon themselves, but they have not harmed the president, and I suspect they will not.
Dick Black represents Loudoun and Prince William counties in the Virginia Senate. He served as chief of the Army criminal law division in the Office of the Judge Advocate General at the Pentagon.
