Trump should be convicted by Senate of insurrection even though he’s out of office

Posted 27 January 2021 at 9:43 am

Editor:

I commonly hear or read that the impeachment of the former President is a waste of time because he is already out of office. Yes, Mr. Trump is out of office but that doesn’t excuse his culpability in fermenting an insurrection to prevent a constitutionally mandated duty to certify the election.

It is one thing to question the election, file legal briefs in court and argue your case. Mr. Trump’s lawyers filed over 60 cases and produced no evidence of fraud; they lost every case. Furthermore, Mr. Trump’s Department of Justice and Homeland Security also stated that the election was free and fair.

Let’s be clear about what happened. Mr. Trump and his cronies continued to lie, undermining confidence in the courts and the most basic underpinning of our democracy; free and fair elections.

These lies led directly to the putsch of Jan. 6th, 2021. The whole purpose of the Jan. 6th “rally” was to overturn the election that every state had certified as free and fair and that every court case found lacked evidence of fraud.

There must be accountability for this lawlessness and attack on our democracy; people died. Since Mr. Trump and his cronies instigated the crimes they must be held accountable.

The argument that Mr. Trump is out of office and therefore should not be held accountable is like claiming that people who invaded your home should not be charged since they are not in your home now.

William Fine

Brockport