Letters to the Editor: Trump’s defenders in the Senate aren’t Republicans, they’re cult members

To the editor: Thanks to historian Eli Merritt for his timely lesson on Alexander Hamilton, who abhorred Thomas Jefferson’s policies but nevertheless implored his fellow Federalists in the House to vote for Jefferson against Aaron Burr to decide the 1800 presidential election. Hamilton knew Burr to be dishonest, unscrupulous and a threat to the Constitution.

It would be comforting to hope that Merritt’s history lesson might somehow make an impression on Republicans in the Senate, but this is not possible because there are no Republicans in the Senate anymore.

Republicans believe in balanced budgets, free trade, the rule of law and maintaining our international alliances. The politicians in Congress who defend this president’s anti-free trade policies, ballooning budget deficits and coziness with our adversaries are not Republicans; rather, they are members of the cult of Trumpism.

Republicans now exist only in exile outside the halls of Congress. We can only hope that one day we will again have Republicans in Congress.

Bruce Kleine, Encino

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To the editor: Hamilton would be turning over in his grave at the utter ridiculousness of this sham of an impeachment trial that sets a dangerous new precedent.

This is not what was envisioned by the framers of our Constitution, who wanted to avoid a partisan impeachment. Yet, a partisan impeachment is exactly what we have here.

This is a ploy by the Democrats to overthrow a legitimately elected president. Now, any Congress can impeach a president for any reason.

Twila LePage-Hughes, Torrance

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To the editor: As a fan of words that convey a powerful and apt description of one who daily seeks to subvert American democracy for his own benefit, I look no further than House impeachment manager Rep. Adam B. Schiff’s opening statement quoting Hamilton.

That statement should create a groundswell in favor of additional witnesses and documents in the president’s Senate trial — unless, of course, demagoguery blinds sense and objectivity.

Michael D. Leventhal, Rancho Mirage