Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution defines Treason against the United States.
Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court.
On Monday, July 16, 2018, we heard President Donald J. Trump meet one of the possible criteria for Treason against the United States on live television … specifically:
… in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.
If you did not watch the Trump-Putin Press Conference in Helsinki, Finland on Monday … or if you need a refresher …, you can watch the critical question during the last 8 to 9 minutes by clicking on this link:
Putin versus U.S. Intelligence Agencies
(The complete 52 minute and 10 second press conference is at the end of this article.)
Before answering the question, the President went on a side trip into blaming the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton for everything. Finally, he gave “aid and comfort to our enemy” by putting Putin’s denial of interfering with our election on an equal … if not greater … level with the opposing conclusions of our Intelligence Agencies. (Remember, our intelligence agencies are headed by people appointed or approved by President Trump and his Administration.)
After about 24 hours of criticism from both sides of the aisle in Congress and newscasters on every network, President Trump announced that he said “would” but meant “wouldn’t”. Why did it take so long for the President’s advisors to catch and announce the error? Why do they think most of us would believe the spin? Click here and listen to the statement again focusing on the way he said “would”. Do you believe he’d say “wouldn’t” with the same emphasis?
Mr. President, the 2016 Election is over. You won. You don’t have to build up your fragile ego by betraying your oath of office as stated in Article II, Section 1, Clause 8 of the Constitution.
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
There is some debate among legal scholars regarding whether a President can be indicted for a crime … even Treason. Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution provides a way for Congress to deal with this legal difficulty.
The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.
It is unlikely that the current Congress will impeach President Trump. They are convinced that his supporters will destroy them, but … one or more states have their primary elections almost every Tuesday between now and November. On November 6, 2018, all seats in the House of Representatives and 35 seats in the Senate are open for election. When they are sworn in on January 3, 2019, the members of 116th Congress could be much different from those of the 115th. Our votes will determine the difference.
Our Future is up to us!
Notes
The picture at the top of this article is the Boot Monument at Saratoga National Historical Park. It honors Benedict Arnold’s contributions to the Continental Army early in his career, but does not name him because he ended his career as a traitor.
The title of this article is based on a phrase from the writings of Elizabethan writer, John Harington.
Treason doth neuer prosper? What’s the Reason?
for if it prosper none dare call it treason.
The original phrase was used as the title of a best-selling political book written by John A. Stormer.
If you missed the live broadcast of the Helsinki Press Conference and want to see the whole 52 minutes and 10 seconds, here it is. To support the legitimacy of this article, I selected a recording made from the live stream on President Trump’s favorite source of information … Fox News.
My Less Than Humble Opinion 