Trump obtained office with Russian help. President of All the Russias, Vladimir Putin, hates the United States. In 2007 Putin compared the United States to the Third Reich. In 2012 Putin aimed to influence our 2016 elections. That is a finding of the United States Congress in the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, passed by the House and the Senate in August, 2017, by veto-proof majorities.
Each day brings more news of Trump collusion and conspiracy with Russia. The Republican Party has moved to impede investigation of the treasonous actions of the current occupant of the Oval Office and of those who worked to take the Oval Office for Putin’s choice.
The Republican Party has done all it can to tilt what is supposed to be a level playing field sharply in its favor. Voter ID laws, cross checking, gerrymandering, and arbitrary purges of voter lists are a few of the tools the GOP has utilized to solidify the control of a political party far in the minority of this country’s voters.
GOP members of Congress, two weeks ago, should be ashamed to have lined up to kiss the derriere of Trump—metaphorically; if any had seen the skid mark photo of him on a golf course, in otherwise white slacks, they might have maybe hesitated to kiss that derriere literally—as a “greqat President,” when the little he has done will have long-term harmful effects and short-term benefits primarily to the very rich.
A big problem may arrived when—not “if” but when—Trump either is impeached or otherwise forced from office. Even today’s sycophants in the GOP Congress see the short shelf-life of Trump.
On that day, as matters stand, Pence would be President—and Putin still will have all he wanted, as will wealthy GOP backers. People who stole the election should not be allowed to keep the spoils of their theft. In place, after Trump leaves office, are policies that will degrade and destroy our environment, laws the effects of which shove more money into pockets of the very wealthy (pockets that would be brimming but for the uncanny ability of the very rich to expand those pockets a la Hermione Granger), actions in foreign policy that remove us as credible, and appointments, some for life, that have ramifications we only can imagine.
If Trump quits or is removed via impeachment or the Twenty-Fifth Amendment, only one person, Trump, who benefitted from Russia’s interference with the 2016 elections is punished. Pence would take the Oval Office. Trump can take the blame for all those “bad” policies. We will be asked to move on and forget the past. Both parties probably will agree to “reach across the aisle”—something the GOP only does for its advantage.
Another option is to bring an action in Federal court for removal and nullification of the election. See Donohue v. Board of Elections of New York State, 435 F.Supp. 957, 967 (E.D.N.Y. 1976).
Removal, by legal means, of a person who obtained the Oval Office through illegal means only is a partial remedy. The stolen election was void ab initio. Any acts taken by Trump, as well as the election itself, must be nullified.
We face a constitutional crisis like none other in our history. This is a valid legal procedure by which to remedy the injustices wrought by the 2016 elections.