The following is a letter that the Sheffield Democratic Committee and the Berkshire Democratic Brigades recently sent to Rep. Richard Neal, our Congressman, who is chair of the House Ways and Means Committee. We have not received a reply to date. But after our letter went out, Rep. Neal’s committee did file suit in federal court to get Trump’s tax returns. Meanwhile, in the wake of last week’s Congressional testimony by former Special Counsel Robert Mueller, more than 100 House Representatives now favor an impeachment inquiry.
Dear Congressman Neal:
President Trump’s actions since he took office represent the greatest internal threat to our democracy since the Civil War. Through his actions and words, Trump has made it clear that he has no respect for our laws or for the rights and prerogatives of Congress as set forth in the Constitution. Therefore, the Sheffield Democratic Committee urges you to join those in Congress who support the opening of an impeachment inquiry.
Trump’s high crimes and misdemeanors began with the collusion between his campaign and the Russian government during the 2016 election cycle and his criminal obstruction of justice, as described in the Mueller report. That alone would be sufficient grounds for impeachment. But those actions only begin to describe the extent of Trump’s assaults on our democracy and his betrayal of the public trust.
Trump’s denigration of the FBI, the CIA and the intelligence community and his acceptance of Putin’s word that Russia didn’t interfere in our election, contrary to U.S. intelligence officials’ findings, represent a treasonous effort to favor a foreign adversary’s interests over those of the U.S. Coupled with the Trump Administration’s effort to have the State Department lift sanctions against Russia—thwarted at the last minute by Congress—these actions strongly suggest a quid pro quo in return for Russia’s massive efforts to support Trump’s election campaign.
Aside from his Russia-related activities, Trump has taken numerous other actions that should be considered in impeachment proceedings. At the top of the list is Trump’s refusal to allow officials to testify to Congress or provide documents on any matter, whether or not it’s related to the Russia investigation. Congress cannot allow this to stand if it is to remain a co-equal branch of government. Moreover, Trump’s blanket claim of executive privilege is not only illegitimate, but negates the right of the American people to know what their government is doing.
Similarly, Congress cannot permit Trump’s frequent attacks on the press, which he calls “the enemy of the people,” to go unchallenged. Among the President’s impeachable offenses are his threats to initiate government action against Amazon (whose number one shareholder, Jeff Bezos, also owns the Washington Post) and Time Warner (owner of CNN). The numerous lies told by Trump spokespeople and the elimination of daily press briefings are part of this pattern.
Trump’s hush money payments just before the election to two women with whom he had had affairs may seem minor by comparison to his other misdeeds. But they constitute a violation of campaign finance law—another impeachable offense. It’s also likely that the efforts of foreign officials to curry favor with Trump by staying in his Washington hotel violate the emoluments clause of the Constitution.
Trump has also endangered the national security of the U.S. in numerous ways. For example, he revealed classified information in a meeting with the Russian ambassador; threatened to pull out of NATO unless other countries increased their payments to the organization; and apparently intervened to allow Jared Kushner and two dozen other people to get security clearances over the objections of national security experts. Most egregious, he pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal and has allowed hawks like John Bolton and Mike Pompeo to push us to the brink of war with Iran.
Trump has also tried to run roughshod over Congress in his immigration policy. He shut down the government in an attempt to force Congress to give him money for his border wall; he declared a national emergency to justify diverting military funds to border security; and he disregarded our law and our tradition of welcoming asylum seekers by locking up Central American immigrants and separating them from their children.
Taken together, these actions show a rogue President going his own way without consulting Congress or considering the effects of his decisions on the national interest or the future of our country. Moreover, Trump has made comments about wanting to run for more than two terms and perhaps become President for Life, like some of the dictators around the world that he has embraced.
Most of all, you and other members of Congress have to think long and hard about what allowing Trump to get away with his criminal acts will mean for the future of the Presidency and the separation of powers in our government. If Trump is not impeached—whether or not the Senate convicts him—both he and future Presidents will feel they can ignore Congress and act like kings. That is not what our country’s founders intended.
Some Democratic leaders have argued that impeachment would play into Trump’s hands politically, because it would help him turn out his base in the 2020 election. But that base is already enthusiastic and more than ready to go to the polls in 2020. What’s more important is that, by upholding the rule of law and standing up to a bully, the Democratic Congress will encourage our supporters to turn out for whomever we nominate for President.
Finally, we’d like to underline the need to obtain Trump’s tax returns as soon as possible. The Treasury Department has declined to comply with your subpoena for Trump’s federal returns, although, as the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, you have the legal right to see them. On May 23, you said that you planned to take the Trump Administration to court to enforce your subpoena. Yet, inexplicably, your committee has not yet filed a suit. Why not?
In addition, the New York Legislature recently passed and Gov. Cuomo signed a bill allowing the state to turn Trump’s state tax returns over to Congress. Yet, again in your role as House Ways and Means chairman, you declined to accept these documents, which might show how Trump has committed fraud and evaded taxes. Your excuse was that looking at the state returns might aid the Administration’s argument that Congress is on a political fishing expedition. But the law allowing you to see the federal returns does not require you to give a reason.
With your ascension to the chairmanship of this powerful committee, you have assumed a responsibility that goes beyond the interests of our district. You now have a national responsibility to ensure that no one, including the President, is above the law. So your refusal to take more aggressive action on Trump’s tax returns is very disappointing and dangerous to our democracy.
We hope that you will strongly support the opening of an impeachment inquiry and try to persuade Speaker Pelosi to do the same. We also ask that you immediately file suit to get Trump’s federal tax returns and that you take possession of his state tax returns.
Respectfully,
The Town of Sheffield Democratic Committee
Co-signed by the Berkshire Democratic Brigades
