The White House is on fire- again!

'Conditions may, and are not unlikely to arise, some day, when the exercise of the power to impeach and remove the President may be quite as essential to the preservation of our political system as it threatened to become in this instance destructive of that system. Should that day ever come, it is to be hoped that the remedy of impeachment, as established by the Constitution, may be as patriotically, as fearlessly, and as unselfishly applied as it was on this occasion rejected'- Edmund G. Ross, History of the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson, 1896

'No, I don't want to eat broccoli'

It's 24th August 1814, the War of 1812 still rages on and Washington D.C. has fallen to the British. Defeat at the Battle of Bladensburg had caused President James Madison and the American government to flee the capital as the British advanced towards the heart of the United States of America. In retaliation to an American raid on Port Dover (Ontario, Canada), the occupying Brits burned the White House, then known as the Presidential Manor, the Capitol Building and other landmarks across Washington. The British took the heat from criticism across Europe for their actions, yet in their eyes it was all part of warfare.

We're cool, right?

Even though 'The Storm That Saved Washington' had swept through the capital and miraculously put out all the fires, it appears that some embers have been burning away for the last 204 years. This small look into American history is relevant, and not just because the anniversary of the Burning of Washington has recently passed. No, it's relevant as the White House is once more under threat of suffering fire damage. This time, it isn't from the revenge driven British army, but from the folly of the President himself. On his rise to the top of American governance, did Donald Trump have time to insure the White House in case of fire damage? Some Presidencies do go up in flames, after all.

'Acca has come through boys. Nando's is on me!'

The White House isn't actually going to burn down, although there would be little surprise if news broke of a mass evacuation from the building since Trump had burned his toast. Figuratively, the White House is in danger of being engulfed in flames as the temperature rises around Trump and his government. It's been another packed period in Casa de Trump, with lawyer Michael Cohen pleading guilty to tax evasion, campaign finance violations and bank fraud. Payments were arranged to American Media, Inc. about covering up stories relating to Trump's affairs with porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal. The payments were not only unethical, but also exceeded the maximum amount allowed to be spent according to U.S. campaign finance law. The payments were made 'in coordination with, and at the direction of, a candidate for federal office'. Wonder who that was...

Mr Cohen, you've just unleashed one hell of a shitstorm 

But wait, there's more! Former Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort was found guilty of both bank and tax fraud, with a side of failing to report foreign bank accounts thrown in there for good measure. The Russian collusion cloud refuses to dissipate, even with Donald screaming and repeating 'where is the collusion?' to his adoring fans in West Virginia. An obvious ploy to direct attention away from the trials of Manafort and Cohen, yet is an issue that won't go away so easily. Moreover, the passing of Senator John McCain has been an event that only now has Trump begrudgingly acknowledged on Tuesday of this week. Flags were lowered to half-mast on Saturday, before being raised back up on Monday. Criticism piled on due to this blatant disrespect to the former Presidential candidate, as the Trump vs McCain grudge raged on even from beyond the grave. The failure to properly remember the life of John McCain, no matter what opinion you have of the Arizona senator, is childish and petty. Once again, no one is surprised.

A thorn in Trump's side

The shenanigans of Donald Trump are no longer surprising, and the latest string of controversies adds to that feeling. Yet now there's a feeling that the anti-Trumpeteers (that has a good ring to it, come to think of it) may have actually got themselves a foot in the door. For so long, the President had slammed the door in the face of the critics calling for his removal from office. He can't be prosecuted for breaking the law while he lounges about in the White House, yet can still be impeached. The US Constitution states that impeachment can occur if the President has committed 'Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes or Misdemeanours' (Article 2, Section 4 of the US Constitution). Both Andrew Johnson (served 1865-1869) and Bill Clinton (served 1993-2001) have gone through the impeachment trials, and came out the other side still in power. Johnson survived by only one Senate vote after removing his Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, and Clinton walked away after charges of perjury and obstruction of justice were pressed against him. Here's a lesson kids; don't fool about with the intern. You might get impeached. Or, if you are about to be impeached, do what Richard Nixon did after the Watergate Scandal and resign.

The process starts in the House of Representatives, where any member can call for a resolution on impeachment. If over 50% agree with this, it goes to the Senate and a trial begins. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court oversees the whole ordeal, with the House acting as the prosecution and the Senate being the jury. The President can use defence lawyers, just to make the whole thing democratic and fair. If over two-thirds of the Senate think the President is guilty, then the big cheese is out on his arse. If not, then the next meeting of the American government will be pretty awkward after all the talk of impeachment and the President's failure to uphold the US Constitution.

All eyes on you, name cards- reminds me of those awkward 'meet and greets' at university

Russian interference in the 2016 Presidential elections is still a relevant issue, especially as Trump continually shouts of the lack of collusion between himself and the sneaky Russians. Right now, the Special Counsel Investigation headed by former FBI Director Robert Mueller continues to collect evidence in regards to whether or not the Russians tipped the scales in 2016. Manafort's offences have been included as part of the investigation due to his vast web of connections to Russia, including lobbyist and lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya and Rinat Akhmetshin, another lobbyist who once served as a former Soviet military officer.

In June 2016, a meeting took place at Trump Tower between individuals including Manafort, the two Russians mentioned above and Donald Trump Jr. The meeting occurred after Aras Agalarov (owner of real-estate firm Crocus Group) asked publicist Rob Goldstone to set up a meeting that Goldstone said was 'part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump'. Goldstone, who represented Aras' son Emin, threw out the bait of claiming to have dirt on Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton, which the young Trump ate up with delight. The series of emails sent between both parties is part of Mueller's investigation, serving as the best source of evidence in the case of possible collusion between Russia and Donald Trump. So much drama!

Man on a mission

The burning question is this; can Donald Trump be impeached? In theory, yes. Evidence is there that Trump has breached his oath to 'preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States'. Not only were slanderous stories covered up with ludicrous amounts of money that exceeded campaign spending limits, but the former Campaign Chairman for Donald Trump had clear ties with various Russian political figures, who clearly had the intention to raise some hell and put the violently orange billionaire in office. To secure your Presidency through collusion with a country that spent the majority of the 20th century positioning nuclear weapons at your nation is, in a way, treason. That's the big one- no one likes a traitor. Toss in repeated obstructions of justice, such as calling for Mueller's investigation to be halted and the fact that he covered up his affairs, and you have yourself a fine meal of impeachment. Delicious!

Before the fireworks are set off, however, putting impeachment into motion is easier said than done. The fact that the Republicans hold a majority in the House of Representatives (237 seats are held out of a total of 435) and the Senate (50 seats, after McCain's passing, out of 100) means impeachment looks unlikely as the Republicans will rally behind their leader. But just to make the whole thing even more dramatic and juicy, November 2018 will see the midterm elections take place. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs, with 35 Senate seats also about to be fought over. Predictions are flying around all over the place, much like all pundits were doing before the start of the 2018/19 Premier League season, and signs point to the Democrats taking control of the House of Representatives. With 26 out of the 35 Senate seats up for election being held by the Democrats, that means that only 2 are needed to control the Senate if none of those seats are lost. Losing control of both Houses would be a disaster for the Republicans, especially if the Democrats mobilise towards impeachment.

Battle time

Donald Trump's decision to continue feuding with the deceased John McCain may hurt him politically. It was pressure from groups such as the American Legion that made him retract the decision to raise the flag back to full mast after being flown at half-mast in respect for McCain's passing. The American Legion represents millions of American war veterans, and John McCain had fought in the Vietnam War in which he was captured and held as a prisoner of war for more than 5 years. He had served as a Senator for Arizona since 1987, furthering the argument that McCain had truly done his duty for the country both on and off the battlefield. Even though this was the man that introduced the world to Sarah Palin, and in a way paved the way for the radical elements of the Republican Party to take control, John McCain had served his country well. For the President to act in such a petty way may just be a very grave decision indeed.

It's hypothetical to assume that the series of events in the Trump vs McCain feud may influence the outcome of the midterm elections in November, but it's something that can't be ignored. America loves their veterans, and to see their President publicly show a lack of respect to such a prominent veteran could be a disaster. Bear in mind that the fall of Michael Cohen and Paul Manafort will not be so easily forgotten, and Robert Mueller is relentless in sniffing out evidence to be used in his investigation in regards to possible Russian collusion. Some Republicans already hold quiet negative opinions of their leader; do they want to support a man who used Russia to get in power, and one who showed a lack of respect to the death of a veteran who served as a Republican senator? We'll find out in November.

Don't worry guys, Bernie will be fine

For now, Donald Trump remains in the Oval Office with his feet up on the desk, scrolling through Twitter and googling his own name. He tweets his anger of how analytics are against him as the only news about him is negative. 'FAKE NEWS!' cries the Commander-in-Chief, as a shade of red mixes in with the orange tone of his aged and chubby face. Donald suddenly lurches up from his phone screen as the smell of burning fills his nose. A trickle of sweat drips down and slowly moves down the side of his rounded head. The White House was on fire once more, but the British weren't to blame this time. This was down to the President's own actions, and had been coming for a long time. Karma's a bitch.

Ben G 😁 xo