As a 17 year old who will finally be able to vote for the first time, I figured it was important to start understanding the key players in politics and the upcoming presidential election. In order to do this, I researched articles and videos on websites with a broad range of political views. At this point in time, I do not support any specific political party because my views differ from issue to issue. I was doing research to find out more about individual candidates and their views so I know who I would agree with most. In doing my research, I came across a lot of information about the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump’s actions. 

 

Most people have probably heard that President Donald Trump is the subject of an impeachment inquiry. I kept hearing bits and pieces about the situation, but I never completely understood what the issue was, so I decided to investigate. Hopefully, I can help other future voters have a better understanding of this important issue.

Here’s what I found:     

Trump is accused of pressuring the newly elected leader of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, to investigate the top Democratic 2020 Presidential candidate Joe Biden as well as his son Hunter. This occurred during a phone call on July 25 to congratulate him on winning the election. 

 

So why is this a big deal? Click here to find out.

• The phone call took place only a few days after Trump blocked a large amount of money to military aid in Ukraine 
• Presidents are not allowed to use their office to solicit foreign aid in a U.S. election 
• Trump wanted to investigate corruption allegations that had already been discredited 
• Biden was considered the current favorite to win the Democratic nomination for the 2020 Presidential election, meaning he would be running directly against Trump     

 

Pro-Impeachment

 

The Democrats believe that Trump was purposely blocking military aid to Ukraine in an attempt to force the Ukranian leader to assist in discrediting Trump’s political opponent. It is against the law for a President to ask foreign countries to help win a U.S. election. The investigation came after a whistleblower complaint of Trump’s wrongdoings in his phone call with the Ukranian leader. White House staffers attempted to cover up the conversation by “locking down” all records of the call. It was put into a system for sensitive, classified information when the call did not contain any sensitive national security information in order to restrict who would see the transcript of the call.   

 

To read the actual complaint of the whistleblower, along with annotations explaining the arguments, click this link. 

 

Trump Defense 

 

The Republican Party’s defense for the issue is that Trump had been talking about corruption with Joe Biden for months and had already been suggesting an investigation into his conduct before Biden announced he was running for President. Trump argues that his purpose in investigating Biden was purely an attack on corruption and not an election strategy. See this video for more information.   

 

What Comes Next?   

 

Presidents cannot be prosecuted while in office, and the only way to remove the president from office is through impeachment. Impeachment is when charges are brought to Congress against the seating President in order to initiate a trial. The impeachment process begins at the House of Representatives. Evidence of wrong-doing is brought before the House, and it ends in a vote. If there is no majority, then the President remains in office and the process is done. A simple majority is required for impeachment and moving onto a trial in the Senate. After the trial in the Senate, the Senators vote on whether or not to convict the President. If less than two-thirds votes to convict, the president remains in office. If two-thirds vote to convict, then the President is removed from office and the vice president will take over.  

 

My Conclusion  

 

Based on the articles I found, I believe that Trump never should have brought up the Bidens to the Ukranian President. This is a direct violation of the law because Biden is a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President, and Trump was using his political power to influence foreign parties to help him discredit a potential rival. I don’t have a political affiliation, and I feel like I am more interested in the issue itself and not just supporting one party over another. I don’t have enough legal knowledge to say whether or not Trump should be impeached for his actions. However, I don’t think that Trump’s conduct is acceptable and Presidents should not engage in this kind of behavior. 

 

Call to Action

 

As future voters, we should all educate ourselves on this issue and make sure we fully understand it in order to take a position on the matter. Once you have a firm position, it’s important to contact your House and Senate representatives to let them know what you think. We all need to be actively participating in politics so that our opinions are heard.

 

Works Cited  

 

“Donald Trump: How Could He Be Impeached?” BBC News, BBC, 24 Sept. 2019, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39945744.

Loeb, Saul. US President Donald Trump speaks as Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky looks on during a meeting in New York on September 25, 2019, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. www.cnbc.com, Getty Images, 1 Oct. 2019, https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/01/ukraines-president-zelensky-damaged-relationships-during-trump-call.html.

“President Trump Insists Calls for Biden Investigations Are about Corruption, Not Politics.” Fox News, FOX News Network, video.foxnews.com/v/6092428267001/#sp=show-clips.

“Trump Impeachment Inquiry: The Short, Medium and Long Story.” BBC News, BBC, 2 Oct. 2019, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49800181.

“Whistleblower Complaint, Annotated.” CNN, Cable News Network, www.cnn.com/interactive/2019/09/politics/whistleblower-complaint-annotated/.