On impeachment trial and tribulations

For the first time in our country’s history, we have witnessed a Senate impeachment trial that barred witnesses and documents. The Republican Party has made a sham of the trial.

Not only should President Donald Trump be removed from office, the Republican Party should be banned from operating in the United States. They along with the president have violated their oaths of office to protect and defend our Constitution.

Hopefully in November, Republican senators up for reelection will be voted out of public offices they demonstrated they are not worthy of. Their goal is to retain power and disregard our Constitution and our country.

Richard T. DeVito, Long Beach

I am a longtime Newsday reader and pretty much always read your editorials and have found that virtually every time President Donald Trump is addressed it is negative. I hardly see his accomplishments such as prison reform, low job rates, and the Mexico-Canada and China trade deals.

I sound like an ardent Trump supporter, however, I’m a moderate and just ask you to give him some credit.

George Pellechia, Garden City Park 

I have a question for Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.): If soliciting help from a foreign government to help you win an election (which you found President Donald Trump did) is not impeachable, what is [“Senate nixes attempt to call new witnesses,” News, Feb. 1]? To claim that we should let the voters decide ignores the fact this is the very election they have been attempting to cheat in.

Joe Squerciati, Hicksville

Thank you for your editorial on Jan. 31 [“Trump defense indefensible”]. I was sad and angry when I heard the news that the Senate had voted against calling witnesses in the Trump impeachment trial. With the exception of Republican Sens. Mitt Romney and Susan Collins, I find the rest of the Republican Party to be a bunch of cowards. President Donald Trump and his legal team are a shameful group. You write, “The [country’s] founders would be aghast.” I agree, and I fear we are on the road to a dictatorship under Trump. I just hope and pray he will be defeated in the November election.

Mark Donnelly, Bayside

The Senate in an impeachment trial sits as judges, not jury. The prosecution must prove the case based on its findings in the House of Representatives. An impeachment of a president must prove treason, bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors. The House managers failed to do so.

The Senate voted on the evidence presented. House members shamed themselves by bringing unsubstantiated charges to the Senate stating “overwhelming evidence.” By their leadership and questions, Senate Democrats indicated highly biased leanings. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Ark.), as your editorial rightly pointed out, correctly voted against witnesses. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was correct at the start: An impeachment must be bipartisan. In the Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton feared a partisan impeachment.

Bob Bittner, Cutchogue 

Jan. 31, 2020 is the day the U.S. Constitution died. But I must defend President Donald Trump’s stance that a soldier receiving a traumatic brain injury is not a big deal (basically a headache). After all, it’s not as serious as bone spurs.

Robert LaRosa, Whitestone 

Enough is enough. Watching the impeachment trial reveals the root of these hearings is a simple fact: Democrats despise Republicans and vice versa. This hatred will never rest.

It’s insulting that the average American worker is asked to sympathize with politicians who complain about the long, hard hours they are forced to work. They still get lots more vacation than the average worker. In the end, nothing gets done for America. The current state of affairs is pathetic and has shaken my confidence in the American political system.

Bob Achtziger, Huntington 

As a registered Republican, I am truly embarrassed. I believe that our Republican senators have underestimated the intelligence of the American people. In the court of public opinion, we the American jurors find it suspicious that an innocent person would want to suppress evidence by way of witness testimony. If I were on trial, I would want as many chances as possible to prove my innocence. Wouldn’t you?

So congratulations to our elected officials. You may have shortened the trial but convinced us of President Donald Trump’s guilt. It’s an action that many will remember in November.

Robert Hanford, Stewart Manor 

Cover shot wasn’t a pretty picture

I’ve been a Newsday customer pretty much my whole life. But I’ve never been more offended than by your exploreLI cover photo on Jan. 31 [“Get your game face on!”].

Using a woman in that photo with food stuffed in her mouth and in both fists is degrading. The article is about where to watch and eat during the Super Bowl. That sounds like a story geared toward mostly men. So why not put the helmet on a man, shove French fries in his mouth and then take the photo? Newsday has a responsibility to its female readers, especially in the #MeToo environment.

Shame on Newsday.

Lorraine Carleton, Islip