When a whistle-blower disclosed that President Donald Trump had attempted to arrange for investigations into Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, it proved to be a watershed moment, even during an already tumultuous time in American politics.
Based on the statements of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during her Tuesday announcement , it was the catalyst for the normally reluctant speaker to pursue an official impeachment inquiry into the president’s conduct.
And now, it seems that the House of Representatives isn’t alone in considering this the right course of action, as a recent statement signed by more than 300 former officials indicates.
Before anyone could sign it, this statement was drafted and circulated by an organization called National Security Action.
According to The Washington Post , this group was founded by and largely consists of former Obama officials who have made it their mission to fight what they describe as Trump’s “reckless leadership.”
Broadly speaking, their statement declares support for congressional impeachment inquiries into the facts behind the president’s Ukraine call.
In particular, the statement released today characterizes the actions Trump was already shown to have taken as a “profound national security concern.”
As it goes on to say, “To be clear, we do not wish to prejudge the totality of the facts or Congress’ deliberative process. At the same time, there is no escaping that what we already know is serious enough to merit impeachment proceedings.”
As the statement originated from former Obama officials, one might expect a similar makeup within its signatories.
And although many of those who lent their support did work for the Obama administration, his former National Counterterrorism Center director Matthew Olsen was also the head of the Justice Department’s national security division during George W. Bush’s administration.
Other signers, such as former Bulgaria ambassador Nancy McEldowney and State Department alumnus Jeffrey Feltman, have the distinction of working with Bush, but not Obama.
In other words, the 300+ officials involved share this concern regardless of whether they worked for a Democratic or Republican government.
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Many of those involved usually preferred to forgo politics in favor of effectively doing their jobs, even if they had concerns about Trump’s leadership.
But as the statement put it, “The revelations of recent days, however, demand a response… President Trump appears to have leveraged the authority and resources of the highest office in the land to invite additional foreign interference into our democratic processes.”
For them, the conduct that Trump is suspected of partaking in during his call with Zelensky makes one thing clear:
“If we fail to speak up — and act — now our foreign policy and national security will officially be on offer to those who can most effectively fulfill the President’s personal prerogatives.”
h/t: The Washington Post
