Located in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, the Jefferson Parish Democratic Executive Committee affiliates with and advances the interests of the Democratic Party. We stand for open, inclusive, constitutional government in Jefferson Parish. We unflinchingly advocate for human and civil rights, equal justice and equal opportunity for all, quality health care and quality schools for all, environmental protection and preservation of quality-of-life services. We support elected officials and political candidates who uphold these core values of the Democratic Party.  

(2-10-21) JEFF BLOG : Trump's Lawyers Have NOTHING

JP Dems

(First Published Feb. 10, 2021)

The Democrats’ House managers weaved masterful insights into our Constitution at the opening of Donald Trump’s impeachment proceedings – in contrast with the sputtering fog machine that Trump’s lawyers cranked up.

          They tried to argue against precedent and expert Constitutional analysis. That analysis makes clear it’s the duty of the Senate to weigh the guilt of current or former office-holders who have been impeached. Fact is, former officials have been impeached in the past. Bottom line: Trump’s lawyers had nothing.

          That was not lost on Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, who voted yes to uphold the Constitutionality of the proceeding and advance it to trial in the Senate. Cassidy said the Democrats’ impeachment managers “made a compelling argument. President Trump’s team, they were disorganized. If I’m an impartial juror and one side is doing a great job and the other side is doing a terrible job on the issue at hand, I’m going to vote for the side that did a good job.”

          Louisiana’s other senator, Republican John Kennedy, got lost in the fog. Put politics above country. Voted no. Hard to believe he was impressed by Trump’s lawyers.

          They ignored common sense, with no answer to a basic question: Can a president commit a high crime or misdemeanor on the way out of office with no consequences?  Secretary of War William Belknap rushed to resign before he was impeached by the U.S. House for alleged corruption in 1876. The Senate back then examined the Constitution, then went ahead and put Belknap on trial. The precedent is clear. The Constitution is clear. Trump’s lawyers had nothing.

          They tried to argue that, once Trump left office, it was up to law enforcement to investigate him. The Constitution expressly allows for a criminal investigation into wrongdoing of a former official, but the Senate is also required to make its own determination on impeachment. Trump’s lawyers had nothing.

          They tried to argue Trump was denied due process when the House voted to impeach. But his lawyers ignored a huge practical problem -- articles of impeachment are rightly focused on Jan. 6 and the insurrection. Trump’s inciting exhortations and the resulting violence were on display for all to see. Trump’s lawyers had nothing.

          They argued that partisan politics produced Trump’s impeachment and will only divide America further. Again, a common-sense question: What could be more partisan and divisive, not to mention irresponsible and traitorous, for a president to destroy Americans’ faith in our election system and to inspire a mob to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol?

          The trial proceeds. Sen. Cassidy and five other Republicans found their courage on Tuesday. Damning, horrific video evidence will unfold this week on the Senate’s big screen and millions of smaller screens across the country. That’s a given, but the question remains – will more Republicans find their own courage?

— Paul Anger, 2nd Vice Chair, Jefferson Parish Democratic Executive Committee, Feb. 10, 2021


(2-17-21) JEFF BLOG: The Antidote to All of the False Comparisons

(2-3-21) JEFF BLOG: Will Cassidy, Kennedy Put America First?
0