Budowsky: George Washington would praise Pelosi

If George Washington were here today, at a monumental moment in American history, he would offer high praise for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), courageous House Democratic freshmen who served our country patriotically and performed a great profile in courage opposing President Trump in tough congressional districts, and courageous conservative Republicans who stand against the abuses of Trump.

Washington would condemn any Senate Republicans who pledge to violate their oath of office in an impeachment trial in the Senate.

The timeless greatness of our Founding Fathers should echo across the chambers of the House and Senate before, during and after the historic votes surrounding the impeachment of President Trump.

Every Senate Republican should consider what George Washington would think of an impeachment trial conducted like a Russian show trial without witnesses, and without critical evidence that should be demanded by all who honor their Senate impeachment oath to do impartial justice.

One of the cardinal American values that George Washington and all of our Founding Fathers devoutly believed in, fought for, and urged their successors in every future generation of Americans to stand for without compromise was to never allow foreign powers to corrupt American democracy and never allow foreign leaders to decide who should have the power to govern the greatest free nation on earth.

This dream of democracy — that no foreign power should have one speck of influence over who should lead our democracy — is fundamental to the sacred legacy of George Washington. And Thomas Jefferson. And John Adams. And James Madison. And Alexander Hamilton. And Abraham Lincoln. And Benjamin Franklin who said the founders gave us a Republic — if we can keep it.

And Ronald Reagan —  who would be angry, disgusted and outraged that any president would plead with dictators in Russia and China, and pressure a democratic ally in Ukraine, to help fix a presidential election in his favor — as Trump has now done in two presidential elections.

I dare any Republican or law professor or supporter of Trump, wherever they may opine, to put their name on their opinion that George Washington was wrong about the danger of foreign entanglements that would corrupt our democracy.

Dare they deny that Trump has repeatedly attempted to do just that (successfully in 2016), or that Reagan would be angrily outraged when a Republican nominee pleads “Russia are you listening?” And when a Republican president goes to Helsinki and says he believes Russian propaganda more than American intelligence about the Russian attack against America. And when his supporters parrot Russian propaganda with the lie that it was Ukraine that tried to fix the presidential election in 2016?

George Washington would offer high praise to Pelosi because she took actions that were not the most politically advantageous to fight like a lioness to defend the highest principles of American democracy, and to fiercely defend American security when American and Western democracy are under aggressive attack from the Russian dictator whose support the Republican president has coveted in ways broadcast to friends and foes in every nation throughout the world.

If the father of our country were here today he would powerfully warn the nation in terms every American would understand and applaud that with democracy under attack across the globe, there is a clear and present danger that the most important decision in our democracy — who would lead us — is in grave and extreme danger of becoming corrupted by a never ending festival of foreign interventions and attacks from Russia, China, Iran, North Korea and other hostile nations if the current crimes against our democracy are not decisively repudiated and defeated today.

George Washington, perhaps the greatest leader in the history of freedom, who rejected having permanent power when it was offered to him, demanded our democracy be free from foreign attack and intervention. He would stand with all who risk their lives and careers to defend the sacred trust that American democracy be owned and operated by Americans only, now and forever.

Budowsky was an aide to former Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Texas) and former Rep. Bill Alexander (D-Ark.), who was chief deputy majority whip of the House of Representatives. He holds an LLM in international financial law from the London School of Economics.