(from https://www.emptywheel.net/2019/09/26/the-definition-of-collusion-as-impeachment-proceeds-the-risk-trump-poses-to-all-americans/)
". . . There is an impact that Trump’s “collusion” and corruption have on everyday Americans, whether they wear pussy hats or MAGA caps, an impact that Democrats have permitted Republicans to obscure. Trump’s actions effectively rob Americans of the powerful executive on foreign policy issues that our Constitution very imperfectly sought to ensure, without stripping the weakened Trump of the tools he can wield to punish those who call him on his weakness. . .Because he always self-deals, Trump has made himself an intolerably weak President, one who makes the US less secure at every step. Republicans defending him need to be held accountable for weakening the US. . ."
After taking office, Trump asked FBI Director James Comey to abandon the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election—which the FBI had already connected to Michael Flynn.
When Comey refused to alter course, Trump fired him. . .Trump then admitted the firing was over “the Russia thing” in a televised interview. . . In a tweet months later, he stated that he “had to fire Michael Flynn because he lied to the FBI”— further affirming that he dismissed James Comey in an attempt to quash the FBI’s investigation.
2. Profiting from the Presidency
The Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause prohibits the president from accepting personal benefits from any foreign government or official. . . Trump has retained his ownership interests in his family business while he is in office. . . Thus, every time a foreign official stays at a Trump hotel, or a foreign government approves a new Trump Organization project, or grants a trademark, Trump is in violation of the Constitution. . . For example: shortly after he was sworn into office, the Chinese government . . . gave preliminary approval to 38 trademarks of Trump’s name. Then, in June, China approved nine Donald Trump trademarks they had previously rejected. . . And every time he goes to golf at a Trump property, he funnels taxpayer money into his family business—violating the Domestic Emoluments Clause.
3. Collusion
In the middle of the 2016 election, Trump’s son was invited to meet with a Russian national regarding “information that would incriminate Hillary and…would be very useful to” Donald Trump . . . The Russian, Natalia Veselnitskaya, had ties to high-ranking Kremlin officials. . . Trump Jr. took the meeting. He said, “I love it,” when told Veselnitskaya may have had dirt on Clinton. Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner also attended. . . Federal law prohibits campaigns from soliciting anything of value from a foreign national. . . After journalists broke this story, Trump personally dictated a public statement on behalf of his son that lied about the intended purpose of the meeting. . . This relationship between the Trump team and the Russian national raises questions of whether the campaign aided a hostile foreign power’s active operation against the United States.
4. Advocating Political & Police Violence
When Trump gave cover to the neo-Nazis who rioted in Charlottesville and murdered a protester, he violated his obligation to protect the citizenry against domestic violence. . . When Trump encouraged police officers to rough up people they have under arrest, he violated his obligation to oversee faithful execution of the laws. . . When Trump shared anti-Muslim content on Twitter, he violated his obligation to uphold equal protection of the laws. . . This represents a pattern of disregard for some of the president’s basic responsibilities as defined by the Constitution.
5. Abuse of Power
President Trump’s decision to pardon Joe Arpaio amounted to an abuse of the pardon power that revealed his indifference to individual rights and equal protections. . . Joe Arpaio was convicted for contempt of court after ignoring a court order that he stop detaining and searching people based on the color of their skin, which constitutes a violation of their rights. . . Pardoning this conviction goes against the Fifth Amendment, which allows the judiciary to issue and enforce injunctions against government officials who flout individual rights.
6. Engaging in Reckless Conduct
High-ranking administration officials involved in foreign affairs have signaled that Trump does not have the capacity to make informed decisions in the event of a military crisis.
Even worse, his actions could spark a needless confrontation stemming from misunderstanding or miscalculation. . . We see this in full effect every time Trump tweets or makes a public statement taunting and threatening the North Korean regime. . . The president may be the “Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States,” but that does not give him the right to behave in reckless or wanton ways that put millions of lives at risk. . . If he is unfit to perform his duties as Commander in Chief, he cannot be allowed to remain in the position.
7. Persecuting Political Opponents
President Trump has repeatedly pressured the Department of Justice and the FBI to investigate and prosecute political adversaries like Hillary Clinton. . . This is not based in concerns with national security, law enforcement, or any other function of his office—it is an attempted power play, plain and simple. . . There’s no question that this constitutes an outrageous and inappropriate abuse of executive branch powers and serves as clear grounds for impeachment.
8. Attacking the Free Press
President Trump has repeatedly attacked the concept of an independent press. . . He’s called critical coverage “fake news” and journalists “the enemy of the American people,” made threats to change libel laws and revoke licenses, and his battles with CNN led him to try to interfere in the AT&T/Time Warner merger. . . This demonstrates his unwillingness to respect and uphold the Constitution, and disdain for the crucial foundations to our free society. . . Thanks to Free Speech for People, whose white paper, ‘The Legal Case for a Congressional Investigation on Whether to Impeach President Donald J. Trump,’ served as the basis for this list.
9. Violating Immigrants' Right to Due Process
Enforcing its new “zero tolerance” policy, the Trump administration separated as many as 3,000 immigrant children from their parents at the southern border. This policy was meant to deter families from attempting to cross the border. . . The children and their families have been held in internment camps and cages with what lawyers call “inhumane conditions” . . . Due to negligence, the Trump administration has no plan to reunite all children with their families, even deporting some parents while their children remain detained. . . Thanks to Free Speech for People, ‘New ground for impeachment hearings: cruel and unconstitutional imprisonment of children and their families,’ served as content for this impeachable offense.
10. Violating Campaign Finance Laws
Donald Trump knew disclosure of his extramarital affairs with Stephanie Clifford (A.K.A. Stormy Daniels) and Karen McDougal could hurt his chances at winning the 2016 election. . . At the direction of Trump, Michael Cohen and American Media, Inc. (AMI), the publisher of the National Enquirer bought the rights to the women’s stories and forced them to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements to prevent them from going public. . . Cohen admitted to making illegal, hush-money payments to hide Trump’s affairs in the fall of 2016, just weeks before the election. . . Federal prosecutors, and Trump’s co-conspirators Cohen and AMI, all say that Cohen made the payments at Trump’s direction, “in concert with the campaign,” and with the intention of helping Trump win.
Trump is an unindicted co-conspirator because he directed Cohen to “cause an unlawful corporate contribution” and an “excessive campaign contribution” by paying the two women hush money with the intent to influence the election.
