While millions of Americans spent time with family on Christmas night, Donald Trump was on Twitter raging about his impeachment and attacking House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
In a series of tweets, Trump wrongly claimed that Pelosi only had a “slight” majority, wondered aloud why she had the power to impeach him — the Constitution grants the House the power to impeach any president for virtually any reason — falsely claimed the impeachment proceedings weren’t bipartisan, and incorrectly said he had no due process during the impeachment process.
“Why should Crazy Nancy Pelosi, just because she has a slight majority in the House, be allowed to Impeach the President of the United States?” Trump tweeted late Wednesday night.
“Got ZERO Republican votes, there was no crime, the call with Ukraine was perfect, with ‘no pressure.’ She said it must be ‘bipartisan & overwhelming,” but this Scam Impeachment was neither,” Trump continued.
He added, “Also, very unfair with no Due Process, proper representation, or witnesses. Now Pelosi is demanding everything the Republicans weren’t allowed to have in the House. Dems want to run majority Republican Senate. Hypocrites!”
Democrats have much more than a “slight” majority in the House. When this Congress began in January, Democrats held 235 seats to Republicans’ 199 seats (the number has changed slightly only slightly to 233 to 197 after some deaths, resignations, and party switches). That’s one of the largest majorities either party has had over the past decade.
Additionally, contrary to Trump’s claims, the House did have the right to impeach Trump, as the chamber can impeach a president for anything it deems a “high crime or misdemeanor,” according to the Constitution.
And Trump’s claim that there was no due process in the impeachment proceedings is also false. He was granted the right to participate in the House Judiciary Committee’s impeachment hearings, but chose not to attend nor send a representative in his stead.
Trump’s angry tweets belied the Christmas message he issued just hours before, in which he called on Americans to “strive to foster a culture of deeper understanding and respect — traits that exemplify the teachings of Christ.”
Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.
