Historian: Trump committed impeachable offense

Historian Jon Meacham speaks to reporters prior to his address to the MWSU Convocation on Critical Issues / Photo by Brent Martin

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Presidential historian Jon Meacham, guest speaker at the 26th annual Missouri Western State University Convocation on Critical Issues in St. Joseph, says President Donald Trump’s phone conversation with the president of Ukraine raises serious questions.

“Highly unusual and almost certainly inappropriate,” Meacham tells reporters during a news conference prior to his speech. “The conversation, as I read the transcript, struck me as a very clear attempt to pressure the Ukrainian president to take part in American domestic politics.”

A whistleblower accuses the president of abusing his office, claiming the president attempted to solicit the aid of a foreign country against a political rival. It appears Trump in the summer telephone call attempted to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy into investigating whether then-Vice President Joe Biden interfered with a Ukrainian investigation involving his son, appearing to suggest the U.S. could withhold military aid requested by Ukraine.

A prosecutor investigating the energy company, Burisma, was dismissed in 2016. Hunter Biden served on the company board.

The White House released a transcript of the Trump conversation with Zelenskiy.

Meacham characterizes it as Trump putting pressure on the Ukrainian president to play a role in the 2020 presidential election.

“And I don’t think it is all that complicated. I think we’re going to see over the next x number of days and weeks and months attempts to normalize what is not normal,” according to Meacham.

Meacham joined with other historians on the book Impeachment: An American History, published last year. He sees similarities between Trump and the actions taken by President Richard Nixon during Watergate, asserting both presidents used the power of the office for explicit personal gain.

Meacham isn’t hesitant when asked whether Trump committed an impeachable offense.

“Gerald Ford said an impeachable offense is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives decides at any particular moment it is. My view historically is yes,” Meacham replied.

“Yes?” a reporter asks to clarify.

“Yes, it’s an impeachable offense,” Meacham reiterates. “Now whether you want to remove him from office, I don’t know. But to answer your question quite directly, yes.”