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6 February 2025
Impeach, Censure, Defund

An open letter to my senators and representatives

John Cornyn, Senator
Rafael “Ted” Cruz, Senator
Michael Cloud, Representative

Gentlemen:

President Trump has already engaged in lawless and even unconstitutional actions since his second inauguration. These actions amount to a bloodless coup and an attempt to end constitutional government, replacing it with one-man rule. It is imperative that Congress act now to reverse all illegitimate power grabs and prevent further damage to the republic.

While I have long since despaired of Congressmembers acting in the best interest of the population at large, or taking seriously their oath to the Constitution, I am incredulous that you are willing to diminish your own power to legislate by handing Article I authority to the president and an unelected gang of his cronies.

The so-called Department of Government Efficiency, unlike actual federal departments, was not created by an act of Congress and its intrusion into personnel matters and its hacking of the most sensitive government data is illegal. Nor can the president unilaterally abolish by decree departments and agencies created by Congress.

Congress has the sole authority to declare war, a power it has tried to duck by allowing the president free rein under an Authorization to Use Military Force. However, the AUMF obviously does not allow the president to use U.S. troops for imperialistic conquest in the Americas, nor to ethnically cleanse Gaza.

Congress must:

Immediately defund DOGE.
Immediately rescind special authority granted by Congress to the president with respect to imposing tariffs.
Immediately pass a resolution censuring the president for his contemptible and selfish acts that violate his own oath to defend the Constitution. The fact that he refused to touch the Bible while so swearing does not make the oath any less valid.
Immediately pass a resolution clarifying that the president has no authority to deport U.S. citizens to prisons in El Salvador or any other foreign jurisdiction.
Immediately begin impeachment proceedings based on at least the following counts:

High Treason. The pardoning of more than a thousand insurrectionists who attempted to assault and even kill you, members of Congress, on 6 Jan. 2021 gives aid and comfort to enemies of the United States, the constitutional definition of treason, a capital offense.
Unconstitutional Actions. Notably, the attempt to end birthright citizenship ignores the plain language of Amendment XIV and over a century of case law.
Emoluments. The $TRUMP and $MELANIA meme-coin fiasco was a blatant act of a president using his office for self-enrichment.
Bribery. Demanding $1 billion from Big Oil, followed by declaring a bogus emergency allowing for unrestricted drilling, is bribery even under the Supreme Court’s ultra-lax definition.
Failure to Faithfully Execute Laws. The president, without authority, has refused to shut down the app TikTok despite an act of Congress directing this action, as approved by the Supreme Court.

Other actions that endanger the general welfare include silencing federal health agencies during a bird-flu epidemic and uncontrolled TB in two states, exposing the names of CIA agents and attempts to purge experienced agents, illegal dismissal of personnel at independent agencies such as the NLRB, and actions that weaken the NATO alliance—such as threatening Denmark over Greenland.

We cannot wait for the courts to reverse the ongoing damage to our republic from the Trump administration. Congress must act today.

Sincerely,

Lindsey Eck
Dale, Texas

Recent longform article:

2 January 2025

Bible Too Explicit for Texas Public Schools?

Hell, yes!

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6 February 2025 Impeach, Censure, Defund