The editorial board of The Star Tribune believes that an impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump “is desperately needed,” saying his phone call with the president of Ukraine “crosses every ethical boundary an American president should have.”
“Since taking office, Trump has upended many conventional norms. But the efforts to get the Ukrainian government to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, a leading contender for the Democratic nomination, go too far. Americans already know that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, attempting to tip the scales to Trump. A lengthy investigation proved that, although it did not prove that candidate Trump conspired in the meddling,” the editorial board writes in a September 25 article.
They go on to claim that “the president’s own words” show wrongdoing, saying his interaction with President Volodymyr Zelensky “crosses every ethical boundary.”
“Trump not only implores Zelensky to investigate Biden, he asks him to work with Rudy Giuliani, Trump’s personal attorney, who holds no position in the government,” the board continues. “And with U.S. Attorney General William Barr. That elevates the request to one that carries the full weight of the federal government.”
The editorial board argues that an impeachment investigation “must be thorough because if it comes to a vote on articles of impeachment, the American public must have a complete accounting of the facts.”
“There can be no room for credible accusations that Democrats are merely engaged in a hasty witch hunt. Democrats should establish clear boundaries, a timeline and be as transparent as possible if they want to restore a measure of trust with their actions,” the board says.
The Star Tribune concedes that an “impeachment battle could deepen divisions in an already polarized country,” but thinks that without it the country risks its “election integrity.”
“There is risk to to election integrity if we do nothing, and let yet another standard fall. Americans must be convinced that the integrity of the upcoming election will not be tainted by the actions of yet another foreign government. And the office of the presidency, so central to American leadership in the world, must be protected,” the editorial board writes.
The boards concludes its editorial by suggesting that the nation would be best served by “bipartisan support for the inquiry.”
“But at least for now, Republicans appear fixated on what they consider the lack of a quid pro quo,” the board concludes. “An inquiry by itself is not impeachment. It is a search for the truth. And it is desperately needed.”
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
