Letters to the Editor: The craven Republican defenses of Trump show this isn’t the GOP of Watergate

To the editor: While reading my way around the enormous holes in former Republican Party advisor Scott Jennings’ opinion piece, I noticed he totally failed to mention the most important alleged complicit parties involved in the Ukrainian scandal: Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and Energy Secretary Rick Perry.

Jennings also failed to take into account that this is not simply a partisan decision the Democrats are making to hold impeachment hearings; rather, it is their sworn moral and public duty to uphold the U.S. Constitution, and for anyone to ignore the president’s abuse of power, obstruction of justice and bribery would demonstrate complete dereliction of duty.

The difference between Watergate and now is that back in the 1970s, members of Congress still had integrity and put country before party. Obviously this is no longer the case, and it is a sad and dangerous time for our fragile democracy.

Penelope Burley, Santa Rosa Valley

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To the editor: I like Jennings’ article. He comes across as realistic.

Jennings paints President Trump as being surrounded by a few bad advisors (such as his personal attorney Rudolph W. Giuliani) and exercising bad judgment, but not a criminal by any stretch. The Democrats, on the other hand, are impulsive and unthinking.

I disagree with one statement made by Jennings. He said that Democrats will push for articles of impeachment and a Senate trial because they have “nothing to lose.” I beg to differ.

They may indeed lose the support of those who become disgusted by the manner in which the Democrats have conducted themselves in this process -- that is to say, the shear vulgarity of it. It’s odd that the party conducting itself in such a vulgar way considers itself the elite.

Arthur G. Saginian, Santa Clarita

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To the editor: I wish the media would do two things.

First, they should remind the GOP that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) declared his intent to make Barack Obama a one-term president from the moment he was sworn in. This would dispel the victimization argument that people have been “out to get” Trump from the beginning.

Secondly, they should ask the GOP why the overwhelming evidence that Trump violated the Constitution in myriad ways does not rise to impeachment.

For the love of the Constitution, if holding up aid for a country battling our adversary in exchange for that country creating a hint of scandal against his major political rival, obstructing a legitimate congressional investigation of said actions, denigrating our State Department and undermining our intelligence community are not impeachable offenses, what are?

Glenda Tamblyn, Palmdale