By Nelson A. King
Brooklyn Congresswoman
Yvette D. Clarke has described
President Donald J. Trump’s
alleged abuse of power “an
existential threat to American
democracy.”
Clarke, who represents the
9th Congressional District,
Thursday night held her first
town hall meeting, on Trump’s
impeachment inquiry, at the
Brooklyn Public Library at
Grand Army Plaza.
“In Congress, we have a constitutional
obligation to take
the information we’ve received
and unpack it – to get as many
witnesses to share what they
know, because I believe there
has been a very serious breach
of the constitution of the United
States by President Trump,”
Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican
immigrants told attendees.
“Donald Trump has abused
his power and betrayed his
oath office,” she added, stressing
that Trump’s “an existential
threat” to American democracy
and telling the audience that
she has been a vocal proponent
of impeachment of Trump since
2017, “because the Presidential
election was abnormal.”
The town hall meeting also
featured former Congresswoman
Elizabeth Holtzman, who
was a member of the House
Judiciary Committee and who
voted to impeach President
Richard Nixon.
Other constitutional law
experts provided insight into
what happens during an
impeachment inquiry and
answered questions about
what’s likely to come.
Clarke said she convened the
panelists in response to hearing
from constituents on the
impeachment inquiry process.
Besides Holtzman, panelists
included Alfreda Robinson,
Esq., Associate Dean of George
Washington Law; Donna Lieberman,
Caribbean Life, N 8 ovember 15-21, 2019
Executive Director of
the New York Civil Liberties
Union; and Professor Natalie
Gomez-Velez of CUNY (City
University of New York) Law
School.
“We have a President who
is using his power of office to
bully another country. This
threatens our democracy,”
Holtzman said.
“We are going to see every
possible distraction here –
Hunter Biden, the whistleblower,”
she added.
The former congresswoman
drew parallels on how both
Nixon and Trump have abused
their power, specifically stating
that both presidents have
attempted to stonewall Congress
from investigating them.
She said “this in itself is
impeachable.”
Nixon quit office before he
was officially impeached.
Robinson called the inquiry
both political and legal, stressing
that it is important, regardless
of what it ultimately finds.
“Our democracy requires us
to look at this issue of Trump’s
behavior,” she said.
The experts also provided
information on how the constitution
protects American people
from elected officials’ abuse
of power.
Lieberman said that free
and fair elections are critical in
American democracy.
“We are a government of
laws – the same set of laws for
Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke introduces former Congresswoman
Elizabeth Holtzman.
everyone,” she said. “Nobody is
above the law.”
Gomez-Velez said that the
roles of the House is to impeach
via “trial”, and the Senate is to
convict.
She said the impeachment
process serves as “checks and
balances” for the American
people.
Clarke thanked her constituents
for their calls, letters and
tweets, stating that “enough
is enough when it comes to
Trump’s abuse of power.”
She demanded that he be
held accountable for his actions
“with an impeachment.”
Trump’s abuse of power an existential
threat to American democracy: Clarke
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