Three Strikes – You’re Out Of The Oval Office!

Isabella Chan, Assistant News Editor

Since grade school, it’s been an unsaid rule in society that after three incidents of bad behavior, you’re out. Though it seems a bit immature, it works on a number of levels, whether it be academic, criminal charges and, in this case, political.

Unsurprisingly, President Donald Trump has obstructed justice on multiple occasions during his presidency, which, according to the Mueller Report, goes as far back as his journey into the Oval Office.

In the report, there was substantial evidence that Trump did, in fact, break the law on some level. It was stated the Russian government attempted to help Trump win the presidential election by hacking several Democrats through phishing emails. Along with the emails, several of Trump’s campaign advisors were said to have ties to Russia.

Despite the hefty number of unlawful crimes in the Mueller Report alone, Trump announced on Twitter that there is no appropriate reason for impeachment because he did not commit any high crimes or misdemeanors. According to him, there’s “No Collusion, No Obstruction.”

Well, Trump is in for a shocking revelation because it is very possible for him to be impeached. The question is whether the House of Representatives will, in fact, attempt to do it.

I myself am at a crossroad of what I think the House should do. Trump is no saint and deserves to be reprimanded for his actions, but what will his impeachment bring for the near and coming future of the country?

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer has stated impeachment is “not worthwhile” because it could be a risky move for Democrats in the coming presidential election. He claims if the American people wish to punish Trump’s actions then they won’t re-elect him into office.

If the Senate decides not to convict Trump, then it could potentially add fuel to his 2020 re-election campaign and make the voters wary of Democrats. But one could argue that if the Senate did rightfully impeach Trump, then the Democratic party would benefit during the coming election. The situation is a hit or miss, unfortunately leaning more towards miss.

According to Fortune, the House has looked to impeach over 60 federal officials, yet less than a third led to full impeachments and “only eight (all against federal judges) actually leading to convictions and removal from office.”

At least if the House attempted to impeach Trump, they could say they tried to do the right thing. Lawfare Executive Editor Susan Hennessey believes Trump should be impeached following the Mueller Report regardless of the circumstances.

“The decisions to initiate impeachment inquiries is not just a question of political strategy and timing. It is a question of what the Constitution asks of Congress and the oath its members swear to uphold,” Hennessey tweeted.

She claims it is “cowardly and wrong” for Republicans and Democrats to disregard the presidential oath due to protect a president of any party or the potential damage it could cause.

I could not agree more with Hennessey. Regardless of who the president is, committing an act of crime during one’s term is not something to be looked over without being acknowledged and reprimanded. It’s time to give Trump the boot.