Dec 17, 2019

Over 750 historians call on House to impeach Trump

President Trump attends a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on Monday. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Over 750 historians called on the House of Representatives to vote to impeach President Trump, claiming in a letter posted to Medium that his "disregard" for the law "constitutes a clear and present danger to the Constitution."

Why it matters: The historians' letter comes as the House is expected to vote Wednesday on two articles of impeachment against Trump — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The president Trump and his Republican allies maintain he's done nothing wrong.

President Trump’s numerous and flagrant abuses of power are precisely what the Framers had in mind as grounds for impeaching and removing a president"
— Excerpt from the letter

The big picture: Notable signatories to the scathing letter include biographer Robert Caro, filmmaker Ken Burns and historians Douglas Brinkley, John Meacham and Ron Chernow.

  • "[T]he President’s offenses, including his dereliction in protecting the integrity of the 2020 election from Russian disinformation and renewed interference, arouse once again the Framers’ most profound fears that powerful members of government would become, in Hamilton’s words, 'the mercenary instruments of foreign corruption,'" the group says in the letter.
  • The letter ends with a clear message for lawmakers: "We therefore strongly urge the House of Representatives to impeach the President."

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