Thread by @JoshuaMatz8

I'm a lawyer who worked on the impeachment. Trump was charged with a plot to subvert democratic elections and sabotage checks & balances. We *expressly* alleged this was a pattern in his behavior. And we *expressly* urged removal because it was clear he'd attack democracy again.

https://twitter.com/CarlosLozadaWP/status/1345841844094173185

As the House Judiciary Committee pointedly noted in its report supporting impeachment, "Every day that this Committee fails to act is thus another day that the President might use the powers of his office to rig the election while ignoring or injuring vital national interests."

And once more here: "A President who acts this way believes he stands above the law ... Unless he is stopped, President Trump will continue to erode our democracy and the fundamental values on which the Nation was founded."

And here, too: "Although the 2020 election is less than a year away, Congress cannot wait ... We cannot rely on the next election as a remedy for presidential misconduct when the President is seeking to threaten the very integrity of that election. We must act immediately."

Also: "He has placed his own interest in retaining power above our national security and commitment to self-governance. He has done so before, he has done so here, and he will undoubtedly do so again. To protect the Nation, and preserve our freedom, [Trump] must be impeached."

Trump was charged for his abuse of power vis-a-vis Ukraine. But the House repeatedly made clear that it resolved to impeach, rather than wait for the next election, precisely because his pattern of conduct evinced a clear & present danger to the integrity of the election itself.

President Trump's attacks on our election are symptoms of the same pathology that led him to threaten an ally for personal gain. This is a man who rejects the rule of law. Who rejects democracy. He abused his power then; he's abusing it again now. But in the end, he will fail.

To learn more about the impeachment, I'd urge you to consult the full report issued by the House Judiciary Committee. It's a bracing read. And it powerfully illuminates Trump's recent efforts to subvert our institutions of government.

Report here: congress.gov/116/crpt/hrpt3…