Reasonableness is hardly interesting, and it’s clear from watching Wednesday’s first public hearing in the impeachment inquiry the degree to which both parties understand that logic.
Democrats, led by National Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, attempted to establish the credibility of the witnesses, even when it appeared to have no bearing on the facts of the case. Republican attempted to sow distrust in the process, implicating the media and Democrats in a ruse designed to undermine the will of the voters.
But the real matter of credibility and trust members of Congress should be concerned about is the American trust in the body they represent, which has been waning for years.
Data collected by the Pew Research Center shows more than 80% of Americans believe members of Congress behave unethically most or some of the time. And trends aggregated since 1958 show public trust in government sits near an all-time low. Just 17% of Americans trust Washington all or most of the time, compared to the peak — 77% — in 1964.
Transparency may explain part of the shift. The more opportunities the public has to peak behind the curtain — through cable news, social media and televised congressional hearings — the less sparkling the institution appears.
But there’s more at play. Americans are growing discontent with the routine state of affairs. Partisan power plays grab the attention of some, but they ultimately repel Americans who want to believe Washington is looking out for the good of the country.
It’s in this dismal environment Congress chose to let America watch the impeachment process play out against its president.
Little new information came to light after hours of testimony and political bloviating. Much of this work, after all, has already been conducted in private. The facts remain the facts, and the country would do well to focus on them. Here’s the foundation:
- President Trump called his newly elected counterpart in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, on July 25 to congratulate him on his victory. Within the conversation, and according to a rough transcript produced by the White House, Trump asked for a “favor”: that Zelenskiy look into what role Ukraine may have played in the Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 election.
- Trump also asked the Ukrainian president to contact the U.S. attorney general to discuss what happened to the prosecution of Joe Biden’s son, who sat on the board of a Ukrainian company.
- A whistleblower with second-hand knowledge of the phone call filed a complaint with the concern the president acted inappropriately for allegedly withholding military aid and an invitation to a White House meeting if a foreign government didn’t carry out his demands.
What goes beyond that is largely founded on speculation and differing interpretations of what an impeachable offense ought to be. Congress is tasked with getting to the bottom of it and making a final judgement.
Americans deserve facts, and the process ought to play out according to tenets of fairness, civility and truth. Publicizing the process has little value except in attempting to sway public opinion on the merits removing Trump from office. But when all is said and done, it’s likely America’s perception of its institutions will do the most swaying.