Rep. Madeleine Dean: It’s time for an impeachment inquiry | Opinion
In Pennsylvania communities from Lower Merion to Douglass to East Greenville, I listened to voters’ central concerns: gun violence, healthcare, water contamination, good governance. Yet it has become clear that we face another threat – to the rule of law.
Like many of my colleagues in Congress, I entered public service to address specific issues facing our region. In Pennsylvania communities from Lower Merion to Douglass to East Greenville, I listened to voters’ central concerns: gun violence, healthcare, water contamination, the importance of good governance.
Yet over the last several years, it has become clear that we face another threat – to the rule of law itself.
“The rule of law” can sound abstract and distant – but President Trump’s contempt for the concept illustrates why it matters.
On the House Judiciary Committee where I serve, we have worked to secure the release of the Mueller Report to learn precisely how Russia interfered with our 2016 election – and how President Trump repeatedly attempted to abuse his power and obstruct Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russia’s sweeping behavior.
Unfortunately, the President has called upon his entire administration to break the law and ignore Congressional subpoenas – not just on Russia, but in every area of Congressional oversight, including the administration’s cruel family separation policy and its cynical effort to distort the Census and disenfranchise millions of Americans. The President’s logic echoes Nixon: “when the President does it, that means it is not illegal.” It is also wrong.
Our oversight work is not about partisanship or keeping score. It is about protecting our democracy against a foreign adversary that continues to attack us daily. More broadly, it is about defending the principle that no one is above the law – especially not a President.
Our oversight is also constitutionally required; our Founders created a government of separated powers to prevent any one person or institution from wielding authority without accountability. They knew that only a robust system of checks and balances could constrain an out-of-control executive.
We live in an era of overheated political rhetoric, so it can be hard to recognize genuine threats when they arise. But the President’s behavior is dangerous to Americans of all parties. Not only does he act as if laws are inconvenient obstacles to be ignored on a whim, but he continues to lie about the Russian threat – all while blocking his own administration’s efforts to deal with that threat.
President Trump may not take our constitutional system of government seriously – but we must. On the House Judiciary Committee, we are carrying out our oversight responsibilities, and I look forward to hearing Special Counsel Mueller’s testimony later this month.
Along with approximately 80 of my House colleagues, I have called for an impeachment inquiry. This is not something I take lightly – but the gravity of the moment demands it. As President Kennedy noted: “There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.”
Yet ultimately, an impeachment inquiry is not about a particular president. It is about the presidency, the Constitution, and a system of government that has served the people for nearly two-and-a-half centuries. Our democracy is a precious experiment, and Congress is determined to defend it. That means getting all the facts – and following them where they lead.
The judicial branch is taking on the President as well. In recent weeks, the courts have twice rejected the President’s arguments – important victories for transparency and accountability. Additional court victories are likely coming soon.
In other words, two of our three branches of government are holding the administration accountable.
That process can be slow. It is frustrating. But in the end, I trust the process – because I trust us, the American people.
Nearly fifty years ago, President Nixon plunged our country into Watergate. Carl Bernstein, the reporter who helped blow the story open, reminded us in 2017 of that period’s essential lesson: “The American system worked.” The press, the public, and elected officials of both parties stood up to a corrupt President – and won a victory for American democracy.
I take that lesson to heart. Together, we are stronger and more resilient than any President – even a corrupt and indecent one. And together, we will hold this President accountable – and win a victory for democracy in our time.
Madeleine Dean, a Democrat, represents Pennsylvania’s Fourth District.