Rio Grande Valley political expert weighs in on Trump’s second impeachment
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The following is a Q&A with KRGV Reporter Tony Velasquez Jr. and Dr. Andrew Smith, a political science professor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
TVJ: The House of Representatives made history today by impeaching Donald Trump a second time, what is your take on that?
AS: The events of last Wednesday were inevitable and I don't think the House had any choice but to to do this.
TVJ: But does the president’s fiery speech prior to the riots rise to the charge of incitement of insurrection, which is what he’s charged with?
AS: This president may not have joined in the riots, but he helped make these riots possible and that's something that's completely unacceptable.
TVJ: But with only a week left in office, what’s the point?
AS: One point of impeachment is an added punishment barring President Trump from ever running for federal office again.
TVJ: With President-Elect Joe Biden running on a campaign of “uniting” the country, do you think this is going to hinder the Biden administration or help the Biden administration?
AS: That's a very good question, I think it's a little of both.
TVJ: What do you think that this is going to look to somebody that’s reading about this 50 years from now?
AS: I think people are going to be stunned that it ever got this far and this President made it to a full four years.
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