Divided over impeachment

I’m now surer than ever that there is such a divide in this country that facts and logic are of no value in the political spectrum. The impeachment inquiry of President Trump is THE prime example. For Dems, it is easy – Trump asked Ukraine to look into the Bidens. That is using a foreign government to influence a U.S. election. For the GOP, how else do you investigate possible influence-peddling than to ask the foreign nation to investigate?

 President Trump ran as an outsider with a slogan that obviously captured the attention of many: Drain The Swamp. There are lots of swamp creatures, but no one has lived on the public dole more than Joe Biden. Joe was all of 29 years old when elected to the Senate from Delaware in 1972. He brags about having little money back then, but now he has a net worth of $9-$12 million, much of that coming from the two years after he left D.C.. as the VP. In the 23 months after his VP term, he earned over $15 million according to his tax filings. How? Some was from speeches, some from book fees, and some from consulting. An honest living? Yeah. I don’t begrudge politicians leveraging their expertise to make a buck, subject to whatever lobbying rules exist. Joe’s been a swamp creature long enough to know, and adjust, those laws as needed. But how about family members? Can they similarly profit?

Did Joe use the power of his office to get Hunter, his son, a cushy job with Burisma (an energy holdings company) in Ukraine? That is the question that Trump wanted answered. The Dems, however, intend to protect their possible nominee by making the issue not about Joe but about Trump having the gall to ask the newly elected Ukraine president to look into it. Oh, how did President Zelensky get elected in Ukraine? By asserting he was going to “drain the swamp” and fight corruption in Ukraine. 

Now Dems will focus on the summarily removed Ukrainian special prosecutor, General Viktor Shokin, who was removed not just at VP Biden’s urging but at the insistence of a bipartisan group of U.S. senators who wanted reforms. And that is almost true, except the bipartisan group of senators wanted reforms in Ukraine’s equivalent of our Attorney General’s office and did not single out Shokin. Did those senators know about Hunter Biden’s sweetheart $50,000 per month Ukraine job? Did they know whether Hunter was being investigated by Shokin? Isn’t that worthy of an investigation? Were it a Trump child, you know the answer.

Did Joe threaten Ukraine? Sure did, by his own admission, when he threatened to withhold $1 billion in loan guarantees if Shokin wasn’t fired “in six hours”! They fired Shokin before the deadline.

Mr. Shokin says he was fired because he was looking into Burisma and Hunter. Sour grapes? Maybe. Worthy of a look? Imagine Donald Trump, Jr., in that same situation.

Isn’t it a bit presumptuous to assume Biden is Trump’s adversary come 2020? Yet that is the claim Dems make, that Trump did this to malign his 2020 opponent. I’m not buying it. Frankly, how else could Trump, or the United States, cause an investigation into swamp politics other than to ask a foreign government to assist? If a former president or vice president illegally used influence to financially benefit themselves or their family in another country, we need that country’s assistance to look into it. 

I am not saying the Bidens broke the law. But I am saying that it looks swampy and it’s worthy of an investigation.

Kelly Burke, master attorney, former district attorney and magistrate judge, is engaged in private practice. He writes about the law, rock’n’roll and politics or anything that strikes him. These articles are not designed to give legal advice, but are designed to inform the public about how the law affects their daily lives. Contact Kelly at kelly@burkelasseterllc.com to comment on this article or suggest articles that you’d like to see and visit his website www.kellyrburke.com to view prior columns.