President Trump is not guilty of “inciting an insurrection,” as Democrats allege. Not by a long shot. Take a moment to examine what Trump actually said to the crowd at the national mall. His words do not remotely constitute an impeachable offense or meet the legal definition of “incitement.” Here is what Trump said:
“I KNOW THAT EVERYONE HERE WILL SOON BE MARCHING OVER TO THE CAPITOL BUILDING TO PEACEFULLY AND PATRIOTICALLY MAKE YOUR VOICES HEARD.”
Keep listening. Nowhere in Trump’s remarks did he advocate violence or destruction of property. He did not direct protesters to launch an assault on the Capitol building, breach security, riot, attack police, and engage in seditious conduct. Just the opposite —he called on them to act “peacefully.” So, what Trump said to the crowd was neither a crime nor an impeachable offense. Under the law, the crime of “incitement” requires the speaker to be clear, obvious, and unequivocal in directing and advocating violence.
Yes, Trump encouraged his supporters to march to the Capitol to support members of Congress who were challenging the electoral results. But encouraging a public demonstration is not the same thing as inciting criminal acts. If it were otherwise, hundreds of politicians and members of the media who cheered on the racial justice protests that turned into riots last summer would be behind bars.
But Democrats, in their rush to impeach, don’t care about the evidence that exonerates Trump. They are blinded by their hatred of Trump. They’re vindictive. They want their pound of flesh, and they’ll do it by hook or by crook… even if that means bastardizing both the law and the established constitutional standard of impeachment. They don’t care about the damage they’ll do to future presidents by diminishing the grounds for impeachment.
Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are treating impeachment like it’s “instant coffee” or “instant rice.” It’s not. It is supposed to be a careful, determined, and deliberative procedure that embraces the fundamental rights of due process. But Democrats are abandoning their own rules that call for hearings, the presentation of evidence, the right to counsel, and a defense presented by the President. They want to impeach Trump without any of those due process safeguards.
Congress is now like the Wild West. Rabid Democrats want to exact the equivalent of “Frontier Justice” —”let’s hold the hanging now, and worry about evidence, proof, and a trial later!”
