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President Donald Trump took his nearly constant anti-impeachment harangues to a whole new level Tuesday morning, when he compared the process to a “lynching.” Yup, he really went there.
Since details of the phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Voldymor Zelinsky were revealed, Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced an impeachment inquiry over an alleged quid pro quo that may have constituted an abuse of power by asking a foreign entity to investigate a domestic political rival.
But Trump has conflated that inquiry into an actual impeachment, evidenced by his tweet that suggested the next Democrat to be elected president can be impeached “without due process or fairness or any legal rights.” While it is true that Speaker Pelosi has not held a formal vote to start an impeachment inquiry that happened under Nixon and Clinton impeachment proceedings, there is no legal precedent that makes that mandatory.
So some day, if a Democrat becomes President and the Republicans win the House, even by a tiny margin, they can impeach the President, without due process or fairness or any legal rights. All Republicans must remember what they are witnessing here – a lynching. But we will WIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2019
Some will certainly take issue with his use of the term “lynching” as a means to express the injustice he feels. Lynching was the systemic terrorism used primarily in the south as a means to kill Black Americans during and after the slavery era. For the white president of the United States to suggest he’s a victim of “lynching,” even if hyperbolic, is well…something.
It wasn’t Trump’s first impeachment tweet of the morning. He repeatedly touted a segment on his favorite cable news program Fox & Friends.
“I thought a very revealing poll was done by The New York Times. By about a 10 point margin, those in battleground states polled are against impeaching the President, and if Nancy Pelosi doesn’t take note of that, maybe she is the third rate politician.” @kilmeade @foxandfriends
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2019
…A majority do not want him Impeached and removed from office. 94% of the people in these battleground states who voted for President Trump want him to continue as President. That’s squarely in his corner.” @SteveDoocy “That’s a revealing poll, don’t you think that matters?”…
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2019
….@kilmeade “I want to know about Hillary Clinton with the Dossier? I want to know if there was FISA abuse? We’re still waiting for that report!” @ainsleyearhardt @foxandfriends
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2019
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