I took an oath when I became a U.S. Army Chaplain to defend the U.S. Constitution. Many of us took that same oath and consider that oath sacred.

President Donald Trump took a similar oath…to defend the U.S. Constitution. He violated that oath.

We need to impeach Donald Trump now.  His actions and words, documented over his entire presidency, show a corrupt man using the presidency’s tremendous power to enrich himself and keep in power.  This latest scandal is just the final straw in this on-going nightmare of greed and lawlessness.

Let’s review the facts as we know them now based on Trump’s own words and deeds. Trump suspended about a half billion dollars worth of military aid to Ukraine one week before he called the newly elected president of Ukraine.  As he admitted himself, he talked about corruption and Joe Biden.  At that time, Joe Biden was the Democratic front-runner and was beating Trump in head-to-head polls (still is in fact).  Trump pressured the new Ukrainian president to investigate Joe Biden and his son about their actions during an Obama-era effort to remove a corrupt Ukrainian head prosecutor.  Obama, along with most of the Western democracies, threatened to withhold aid unless this prosecutor was removed.  Since Ukraine’s government wanted that as well, the corrupt prosecutor was fired. Subsequent investigations cleared both Biden and his son.

This is impeachable. In fact, this is exactly what the Founders were concerned about when they created the impeachment process. Trump threatens a foreign power to withhold military aid until they investigate his political rival and then help Trump get re-elected. This is no different than extortion. It is like a local mayor showing up at your doorstep asking for political favors and then commenting on what a shame it would be if your neighborhood streets would not get needed repairs. The inference is as clear as a bell. Maybe a better example is a corrupt fire chief coming to your home for “donations” and wondering how long it would take for your home to burn down if no one came.

When, or if, the Intelligence Community’s whistleblower’s complaint reaches Congress in its entirety, perhaps all of us will know the particulars of this event. So far, Trump refuses to let that happen despite the illegality of his actions.

Impeach Trump. He is corrupt and hurting U.S. interests by placing his political interests above all.

Call Fleischmann at his Oak Ridge office (865.576.1976) or his D.C. office at (202.225.3271) and tell him to support this impeachment investigation. Then please let me (Eric Keller at erkelleracdp@gmail.com) that you did so. Urge Chuck Fleischmann to support the U.S. Constitution over his own political career. Our democracy needs you.