Congressman Lance Gooden (R-TX) | Democrats Lack Grounds for Impeachment

Congressman Lance Gooden (R-TX) | Democrats Lack Grounds for Impeachment

President Donald J. Trump does not deserve to be removed from office. In another effort at impeachment, Democrats now falsely accuse President Trump of extorting the president of Ukraine during their phone call in July.

There are a few glaring problems with their argument. First, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski has stated publicly he felt “no pressure” from President Trump to investigate the Bidens. I don’t know how extortion could take place without the person being extorted feeling the pressure of the situation, particularly when the allegation is launched against the President of the United States.

Second, the security aid supposedly withheld by President Trump in this scenario was released to Ukraine later this summer. If President Trump aimed to use this aid as a way to pressure the Ukrainians into launching an investigation, why would he give it up before they fulfilled their end of the bargain?

The answer is clear: there was no bargain. There was no attempt to extort the Ukrainians. The transcript of the phone call between President Trump and his counterpart in Ukraine shows nothing more than the president’s concern toward sending $400 million in aid to a country notoriously ripe with corruption. It is certainly legitimate to insist on the pursuit of anti-corruption investigations, wherever they may be.

Democrats have shown their true colors during this illegitimate impeachment process. An important fact to remember throughout the public hearings is this impeachment began with a partisan investigation run by House Democrats, not with an independent, non-partisan investigation overseen by a Special Counsel. Once the public sees this witch hunt for what it is, Democrats will face a tide of resentment heading into the 2020 election.