By Staff Report
House Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., is calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump.
“I do not arrive at this conclusion lightly,” wrote Welch in an email Thursday. “However, after 30 months in office, President Trump has established a clear pattern of willful disregard for our Constitution and its system of checks and balances. His presidency has wrought an unprecedented and unrelenting assault on the pillars and guardrails of our democracy, including the rule of law on which our country was founded.”
He said the president has attacked American citizens based on their “race, gender, religion and ethnic origin.”
“Instead of strengthening the institutional pillars of our democracy, this president is methodically tearing them down,” wrote Welch. “He fired the FBI Director and made every effort to derail the Mueller investigation. He calls for the jailing of political opponents and pardons political allies. And at every turn, he demeans, attacks and discredits the free press, dangerously labeling it as the enemy of the people.”
He said America’s democracy, while resilient, is also fragile.
“Its stability and progress depend on the consent of the governed, a respect for the rule of law, and the capacity of our leaders to inspire trust and confidence in each other and in the federal government,” said Welch.
He said Trump swore an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution when he became president.
“I have concluded that he has failed to honor that solemn oath which, in my view, merits impeachment under our Constitution,” said Welch.
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