One of the recent refrains of congressional Republicans is “with the election a year away, let the voters decide” in lieu of proceeding with the House’s impeachment process. Why not! Because this process is more important than the already important current debate, Ukraine and President Trump’s attempt to extort “personal political dirt” on his potential 2020 opponent as a reward for needed congressional-approved military equipment.

The Mueller report provided multiple examples of unlawful activities by the president and his supporters. The voluminous report’s serious conclusions were difficult to digest by most Americans.

This impeachment process is about how we expect our president to perform his or her duties. How the president views the role of the executive branch within our form of government. How the president represents our country’s values as a world leader. How the president respects the rule of law, the norms of normal behavior and the decency of human interaction.

This president has established a new low benchmark for the office as reflected by his personal and professional conduct. His willingness to ignore our laws and disrespect the institutions that separate us from autocratic leaders and governments.

Democracies can be messy. They depend on an informed electorate to be able to discern right from wrong, fact from fiction, morality and ethics from its absence. It’s a challenge in the age of social media. Nevertheless, it’s important for our elected officials to abide by their oath of office vs. their allegiance to one person or their own political survival.

Roger Beeley

Scarborough

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