By: David Conde
I first heard Donald Trump’s name during the era of the United States Football League (USFL) and the Denver Gold team. During those years (1983-1986) the spring and summer playing Denver Gold grew in stature and was fast becoming a favorite of many sports fans in the region.
Then came Donald Trump to take that joy away as the then owner of the New Jersey Generals, not satisfied with being part of the “other league,” led an anti-trust suit to force USFL teams into the National Football League (NFL). Ironically, the operation was a success but the patient died as the $1.00 verdict drove USFL to terminate play and we lost the Denver Gold.
In the 90s I had the occasion to see Howard Stern’s radio show offered on late TV and observed some of his interviews of Trump dealing mostly with women. Also, there was a lot of publicity about his personal life, casinos, and the bankruptcies that ensued from that involvement.
At the time, there were deep social and political divisions developing in the American landscape. The racial tones of the differences became very obvious with the election and the presidency of Barack Obama.
Yet, many people, including myself, were surprised to see Trump emerge as the Republican candidate based on that racial division. It was indeed his attack on the Latino community that formed the foundation of a campaign that took advantage of the widening racial divide caused by an approaching change in majority/minority demographics and change in potential political dynamics.
His presidency ushered in the concepts of rigged elections, and alternative facts and demonstrated the inclusion of foreign power activity to corrupt our democracy. Also, President Trump sought to govern by personal choice rather than by the constitutionally approved institutions established to carry out the law.
His actions as President led to two impeachments. The first on December 18, 2019, included two articles of impeachment: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. In the abuse of power charge, he was accused of “soliciting foreign interference in 2020 election.”
The charge said that he “withheld military aid and an invitation to the White House to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in order to influence Ukraine to announce an investigation into Trump’s political opponent Joe Biden and to promote a discredited conspiracy theory that Ukraine, not Russia, was behind interference in the 2016 presidential election.”The obstruction of Congress charge came from his effort to prevent witnesses to give testimony about the issue.
The second impeachment dated January 13, 2021, was for “incitement of insurrection.” He was tried by the House of Representatives for the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol designed to prevent formal congressional approval of the election of Joe Biden to be President.
Although former President Trump was not convicted in the United State Senate in both impeachment trials, a select committee of the House was impaneled to investigate further and propose ways to prevent this type of action in the future.
The first public hearing held on Monday, June 9th offered convincing testimony, including from his own family and staff, of very serious criminal behavior on the part of the ex-President. Six more hearings are scheduled that may yield a referral to the Department of Justice for indictment and prosecution.
Donald Trump is one of three Presidents that have been impeached by Congress. None were convicted.
Former President Trump may be facing more, however, including a referred criminal indictment and a trial in federal court. This represents a low moment in American history.
