Recent illegal airstrikes into Iraq are high crimes

"...violated not only the United Nations Charter but also the principle announced by the U.S. and other world powers at the Nuremberg trials.."

The News-Gazette (Champaign–Urbana)- echo opinion letter:

The illegal U.S. assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani should be sufficient grounds for additional articles of impeachment.

Recent illegal airstrikes into Iraq would be, too. In committing these high crimes, Donald Trump violated not only the U.N. Charter but also the principle announced by the U.S. and other world powers at the Nuremberg trials that “waging aggressive war” or “violations of sovereignty” are capital offenses. The U.S. officially incorporated both into its own law.

The claimed exception of “imminent threat” is a transparent lie. 

For any threat to be imminent, it must be in progress, not “developing plans,” as the administration claims. Then it would be necessary to take out fighters, not planners. Officials now say there are no imminent threats, compounding the contradiction.

Was Soleimani himself going to plant explosives? Add to this the recent report that Soleimani may have been in Iraq negotiating peace with Saudi Arabia.

The Iraqi parliament has demanded all foreign troops leave, but Trump refuses, further violating sovereignty. This after the U.S. invaded and overthrew the previous Iraqi state based on ridiculous lies.

And before that, the U.S. and Britain had overthrown the elected Iranian government, installing the Shah’s brutal torture regime, which led to the Islamic Revolution. What success.

Democrats may fear impeachment on such grounds, however, due to the risk for future Democratic presidents — all the more reason Republicans should support Trump’s impeachment.

From Ricky Baldwin, Urbana Illinois