Above: Sharon Herting of Olympia offers some social media app suggestions for participation in the political process outside Olympia city hall on July 11.
By
Janine Gates
Little Hollywood
The Olympia City Council has sent a letter to Washington
State’s congressional delegation asking members to pursue an “aggressive,
independent investigation” into President Donald J. Trump’s business ties,
Russian connections, and actions to impede federal investigations, as well as
other alleged violations of United States law.
At the council’s July 11 meeting, council members
decided not to endorse a resolution calling for President Trump’s impeachment,
but promised to send a strongly worded letter asking the state’s congressional
delegation to call for an investigation into impeachment.
Without using the word “impeachment,” the letter
spells out impeachable concerns.
The letter, dated July 18, was signed by Olympia Mayor
Cheryl Selby on behalf of the council. It was written by Olympia city councilmember
Nathaniel Jones and Olympia city manager Steve Hall.
Bonnie Jones, coordinator of Puget Sound Communities
4 Impeachment, praised the letter and hopes it will unify the council in going
forward with a plan to introduce a rewritten resolution at a later date.
“Things seem to be moving fast in some ways, but we
still have work to do,” she said.
Addressed to U.S. House of Representative
Denny Heck, the letter asks him to promptly contact the United States House Judiciary
Committee to insist that it pursue an investigation.
The letter reads in part:
“Your
constituents in Olympia have expressed their grave concerns that the President
has violated his constitutional oath to faithfully preserve, protect and defend
the Constitution of the United States. Also, they are concerned that in
violation of his constitutional duty, he has prevented, obstructed and impeded
the administration of justice.
“The
President’s actions have led many to conclude that he has violated the
Constitution of the United States Foreign Emoluments Clause, the Domestic
Emoluments Clause and contract lease provisions of the General Services
Administration.
“Further,
his actions indicate that he has tried to curtail investigations of former
National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, the Russian state interference in the
2016 presidential campaign and the conduct of his campaign personnel, including
possible collusion with a foreign government. His firing of FBI Director James
Comey has been acknowledged as an attempt to curtail legitimate investigations.
These various actions have lead many, including our mutual constituency in
Olympia, to assert that obstruction of justice has transpired.
“The
City Council firmly believes in the Constitution and laws of the United States
and insists that no person is above the law. The Office of the President of the
United States requires the holder to faithfully execute the laws and
Constitution of our Nation.
“Yet,
Olympians have found that Donald J. Trump has acted in a manner contrary to his
trust as President, in a way that is subversive to constitutional government,
and with great prejudice to the cause of law and justice and to the manifest
injury to the people of this great city.
“When
the honor and duty of the President is in question, an investigation is
imperative.”
For
more information about the Olympia city council’s deliberations regarding the
letter and a resolution, go to Little Hollywood, https://janineslittlehollywood.blogspot.com/2017/07/olympia-council-considers-trump.html
