I have long opposed the various efforts to impeach President Trump. Overturning an election should be a rare event, undertaken in only the most extreme circumstances. The process would create deep wounds in an already divided nation. And, as a practical matter, since it’s highly unlikely that a Republican-controlled Senate would vote by a two-thirds majority for conviction, the political effect could well be to vindicate Trump and aid his reelection.
But the events of the past few weeks have led to me to support an impeachment inquiry. Trump’s efforts to pressure the new Ukrainian government, including his phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, were profoundly wrong. To direct U.S. foreign policy for personal political gain is the definition of abuse of power. Even many Trump defenders argue that what he did was undoubtably bad but claim that it does not rise to the level of an impeachable offense.