By CHELSEA NAPPER
An ad campaign to impeach President Donald Trump sponsored by billionaire Tom Steyer was launched on Oct 19. The campaign has produced two videos calling for change.
He explains that he is funding the campaign to impeach Trump because Trump supports a proposed harmful tax reform, and due to several offenses he believes Trump has committed since taking office.
Steyer Proposes a Petition
The ad campaign has published two videos calling for signatures on a petition for impeachment of President Trump.
The first video produced by the ad campaign centers around tax reform proposed by the Republicans.
Titled “Your Voice”, it argues that the tax reform legislation proposed by the Trump administration is designed to benefit the upper class “while hurting the middle class.”
“It blows up the deficit, and that means fewer investments in education, healthcare, and job creation,” says Steyer in the video.
Steyer argues that Trump is guilty of “obstructing justice at the FBI,” has “taken money from foreign governments” in violation of the Constitution, and has “threatened to shut down news organizations” in violation of the First Amendment.
This second video’s message is more closely aligned with what many Congress members on both sides of the aisle believe are valid criticisms of President Trump.
Congressman Cohen Proposes Articles of Impeachment
On Nov 15, Congressman Steve Cohen, (D) Tenn., introduced a list of five articles for the impeachment of Trump.
Cohen was joined in the presentation of these articles by Congressmen Luis Gutiérrez, D-Ill., Al Green, D-Texas, and Adriano Espaillat, D-N. Y. Other signatories of the articles are Representatives John Yarmuth, D-Ky., and Marcia Fudge, D-Ohio.
This is not the first time during Trump’s presidency that articles of impeachment have been proposed to Congress.
The first official attempt at impeachment was made on July 12 by Congressmen Brad Sherman and Al Green. The motion failed to gain support in Congress.
Public Reception
Forty-nine percent of Americans support impeachment, according to recent polls on PublicPolicyPolling.com.
Steyer’s ad campaign and the most recent articles of impeachment have earned both positive and negative criticisms by the public.
Rep. Luis Gutiérrez, D-Illinois is one of the Congressmen who came forward with Cohen to propose the articles of impeachment.
“We are not seeking his impeachment because of what he did before he was president,” he said, adding that the focus of the proposition was to be on only those actions President Trump has made while in office.
Members of Congress in favor of impeachment are still wary of the effort’s success, as both houses are currently controlled by the Republican party.
Judge Andrew Napolitano, a former Fox News contributor, had an adverse reaction to the recent attempts to impeach Trump:
“Here’s what’s dangerous about this: Impeachment is, short of declaring war, is [sic] the most radical, catastrophic thing that the Congress can do,” said Napolitano.
Moving Forward
“It’s up to all of us to stand up to this president. Not just for impeachable offenses, but also to demand a country where everyone has a real chance to succeed,” Steyer states in “Your Voice.”
The petition around which Steyer’s ad campaign centers has over 3.2 million signatures and can be found at NeedToImpeach.com.
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