Judge Andrew Napolitano wound up and let fly on Monday on Fox News' companion site, Fox Nation. It's a pity they didn't broadcast it on Fox News, because Napolitano made the case for why Donald Trump has betrayed his oath of office and should be impeached as a consequence.
Ticking off some of Trump's greatest hits, Napolitano said, “In nearly three years in office, President Donald Trump has spent federal dollars not authorized by Congress; separated families and incarcerated children at the Texas-Mexico border in defiance of a federal court order; pulled 1,000 American troops out of Syria ignoring a commitment to allies and facilitated war against civilians there; and sent 2,000 American troops to Saudi Arabia without a congressional authorization or declaration of war.”
“He has also criminally obstructed a Department of Justice investigation of himself, but escaped prosecution because of the intercession of an attorney general more loyal to him than to the Constitution. The Constitution!” he emphasized.
He could have stopped there, but instead took viewers through Trump's presidential oath of office, reminding them that he swore to "faithfully execute" his promise to protect and defend the U.S. Constitution.
Napolitano explained that James Madison insisted on the word "faithfully" as part of the oath and also that the oath be a part of the Constitution "to remind presidents to enforce laws and comply with constitutional provisions whether they agree with them or not and to immunize the oath from congressional alteration." (Or maybe in this case, Russian interference.)
Even with that, Trump referred recently to the "phony emoluments clause, "and he thereby implied that he need not abide by it nor enforce it, notwithstanding his oath," Napolitano said.
Trump’s lack of deference to the Constitution is “most unusual and potentially dangerous in a president," Napolitano observed, which begs the question: “Can the president of the United States lawfully enforce only the clauses of the Constitution with which he agrees and ignore those with which he disagrees?”
“No,” he answered, forcefully.
All in all, it's a forceful argument for why Trump should be impeached and removed from office. Not only that, but the political ads write themselves, which begs the question: Why aren't national Democrats running ads reminding everyone that Trump has zero respect for the Constitution, the rule of law, and the people he's supposed to govern. There's no reason to wait for a nominee. Democrats as a party should be defining Donald Trump now and for the future.
As for Trump himself, he is an insult to the Constitution and should be removed from his office for his continued violation of his oath of office.
