Thread by @jgeltzer

THREAD

On Wednesday begins public impeachment testimony related to Ukraine issues. But this isn't just any impeachment inquiry--it's an impeachment inquiry driven by national security concerns.

So how should we think about that distinctive aspect of this impeachment process? /1

This isn't the 1st national security-driven impeachment in our history. The impeachment of Andrew Johnson was in a sense driven by post-Civil War national security concerns.

He was accused of betraying what the US fought for. So, too, is Trump accused of betraying the nation. /2

So we need to understand in those terms the White House's resistance to the impeachment process itself & the resistance by private citizens like Bolton.

That resistance has been framed as "protecting Trump." But it's also thwarting Congress' effort to defend our democracy. /3

Cooperating with the impeachment inquiry shouldn't be seen as pro-Trump or anti-Trump, Democratic or Republican.

It should be seen as indicating whether a witness cares about the mounting evidence that Trump has invited foreign election interference & made us less secure. /4

So the public hearings that begin on Wednesday must explain the national security dimension to the American people.

That's not just what happened, but WHY it's a direct threat to US national security &, in turn, why stonewalling impeachment thwarts protecting US democracy. /END