By Maggie Inglesby

Accusations and suggestions of impeachment have been as much of a staple in this presidency as “fake news” and talks of building the wall, but these accusations have finally come to fruition with the Congressional House of Representatives voting to formalize the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump’ dealings with Ukraine, with the first public hearings

held Nov. 14.

The impeachment inquiry that finally stuck was the one about allegedly shady dealings in Ukraine and the President’s requests to investigate democratic candidate former-Vice President Joe Biden in exchange for military aid already authorized by Congress to help repel Russia’s invasion.

This has been called a quid pro quo in the past but Democrats are starting to use more volatile language like bribery and extortion to try to get others on their side.

The first day of hearings saw testimony from diplomats Bill Taylor and George Kent and the biggest development was of an overheard phone call between America’s EU ambassador and Trump about Ukraine. According to the aide, Trump was more concerned and cared more about “investigations of Biden” than Ukraine. 

Taylor’s aide told him on July 27, the day after he heard the phone call. This second-hand source may not be the most credible, but where there’s smoke there’s fire, but we will have to wait to see what other developments will come out of the hearings.

 Now if you ask me, Trump will be impeached. There is no way around it and the population supports it with 47 percent supporting his impeachment, 38 percent not supporting it and 15 percent unsure according to a The Economist/YouGov poll in mid-October. 

We must remember though that impeachment does not mean that Trump will no longer be president. If he is impeached, a trial will be held in the Senate that will decide whether or not he should be indicted. A simple majority in the House is necessary to impeach and this is likely as there is currently a Democratic majority in the House. 

This should not be a party or ideological issue but it is in our politically polarized state as a nation. For this reason, I do not think that the President will be removed from office by the Senate. Mitch McConnell is the impenetrable force of the conservative Senate and will likely prevent Trump’s removal from office.

 In the other three cases of impeachment in the history of the United States, no president has been removed from office. Johnson was not convicted, Nixon actually resigned before he was impeached, and Clinton was also acquitted. I do not know if Trump would resign but we must also keep in mind that if Trump leaves office before January of 2021 (no matter the method) he will be replaced by Vice President Pence. 

No matter your opinions on the President, I think we should all still consider our opinions on the VP since it is becoming likely that he may be in charge. If the President leaves office before elections, I fear that Pence will become a rallying point for hard-line republicans and first let me make it clear that I have nothing against any republicans. But I fear Pence and his track record of homophobic, transphobic, and misogynistic policies. 

I, therefore, do not want those outraged by Trump’s possible impeachment to come out in droves to support someone who makes backward policies about gay and trans people and dictates what I can do with my body. This does not mean that I do not support Trump’s impeachment, which I do, but rather that I think that everyone that does needs to consider the outcome. If you come to the conclusion that you would rather have Trump that is fine and if you decide that you do not want to chance it, that’s also fine I think we just all need to consider it. 

Now I am not a political professional or a CNN analyst but if you want my opinion on the outcome, I would say that Trump will be impeached but not removed from office or resign. This is also before the formal inquiry has finished so maybe there will be an incriminating and indisputable witness that comes forward along with the whistle blower but until then we need to be ready for the long haul of vicious politics as America goes through a historic period in politics.