Worse than misdemeanors

A little over half of Americans believe the House should either impeach Trump or continue investigations to determine if impeachment is warranted for political and financial irregularities tied to his presidential campaign. The Constitution authorizes impeachment for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors". Trump may be guilty of all four but we'll never truly know till a thorough Congressional investigation is undertaken.

But what is happening right before our eyes are high crimes and felonies Trump is committing at the border with his administration's treatment of asylum seekers.The splintered families, thousands confined in deplorable conditions, a few dead are all a a piece with Trump's demonization of these folks as "murderers and rapists" at the beginning of his campaign. Those charges and subsequent real life treatment of the weak and powerless are red meat to his xenophobic base. They contain not an iota of decency or humanity, the first order of business of every president. And every one of the 43 men who preceded Trump avoided such cruel, heartless conduct to gain election or re-election. Every one governed the entire populous, not the howling mob.

Trump's treatment of asylum seekers is a seamless transition from a signature Trump initiative to withdraw health insurance coverage from the 20 million who gained it under his predecessor and prevent the remaining 20 million uncovered from gaining a medical lifeline to a healthy life.

Trump's treatment of asylum seekers is a seamless transition from his withdrawal from global climate accords, promoting the return of King Coal. and denigrating the climate science that must be heeded to preserve Mother Earth for our future generations, including Trump's.

High crimes and misdemeanors doesn't quite capture all the damage Trump is doing to our people, our country, our planet. They are high crimes and felonies.