Donald Trump should be impeached and removed from office. And it’s not even a close call.

Trump was caught this summer using the powers of his office to cheat in the upcoming election.

And when Congress started to investigate, he stonewalled, refusing to hand over documents and ordering employees to keep quiet.

That constitutes abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, exactly the kind of “high crimes and misdemeanors” the Framers had in mind when they put the impeachment clauses in the Constitution. Members of Congress have seen more than enough evidence to approve the two articles of impeachment passed by the House Judiciary Committee last week, and they should send the matter to the Senate for the president’s trial.

No American president has ever been removed from office, and this president’s supporters claim that Trump has done nothing that deserves the ultimate punishment – the political death penalty – that would result from his conviction.

But this process is not about punishing Trump – it’s about protecting our democracy.

If Congress doesn’t stop him, the president will continue to cheat in the next election, corruptly using his powers to stay in power. And if Congress cannot investigate potential wrongdoing, there is no limit to how far he can go.

How do we know? Because he’s been caught before.

It started during his campaign for the presidency, when agents of the Russian government reached out to his campaign to offer help defeating Hillary Clinton. Trump and his inner circle at times accepted their help with enthusiasm, meeting with an intermediary who claimed to have “dirt” on Clinton, and timing their campaign messaging to the release of Democratic emails that had stolen by Russian intelligence.

Individuals in the Trump orbit have been convicted of lying to cover up these contacts, but the president has never been held accountable.

This time, Trump did not just passively receive help from a foreign power, he tried to demand it.

Read the summary of the president’s July 25 call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and listen to the testimony of diplomats and national security staff who were shocked to hear the president of the United States shaking down an ally. A foreign government desperately in need of American support was pressured to involve itself in the 2020 presidential race. And when the alarms went off, the president actively blocked investigators from getting access to documents or witnesses. The president, who can’t be charged with a crime while in office, believes that he should control an impeachment process.

If Congress doesn’t stop him now, what comes next?

Because of our polarized politics, we are probably going to find out. Republicans are clinging to the president and the power they get from having him in the White House. So far, there is no sign that this will change.

But don’t let them get away with making this look like a complicated case.

Donald Trump abused the powers of the presidency for his personal political gain. He is a threat to national security and the rule of law.

He should be impeached and removed from office. And it’s not even a close call.

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