Dear Editor:

In response to another opinion piece that was written by Martha Morrissy (“Guilty Without Facts”) published in the Feb. 11, 2021 Downey Patriot.

Ms. Morrissy stated Trump was declared guilty before all the evidence was presented. You can not declare him not guilty before all the evidence is presented either. Ms. Morrissy made her statement before the trial was completed.

I watched the impeachment procedures conducted by the Senate and both sides were represented by lawyers. As for evidence, it was not just the events of Jan. 6, 2021 that were in question. It was documented history of Trump speaking/encouraging violent behavior...everything from grabbing a woman, to telling his supporters to drag others out of his rallies and he (Donald) would pay any legal fees, to referring to drivers as patriots as they attempted to drive a bus full of political opponents off the road.

All of this started when his first campaign began, and all of America saw it, and thank God that not all of America agrees with his behavior or politics.

Yes, Trump was acquitted. Please note that a majority of Senators did not support him. After the trial, McConnell stated that he is convinced Trump is responsible for the Capitol attack and he could possibly face criminal charges.

We all know there’s no such thing as a perfect politicians and that you can’t please all the people all the time. There are decent Democrats and decent Republicans. It’s fair to say that many think the Republican party is slipping because of Trump. What happened on Jan. 6, 2021 was because of Trump.

“Fellow Americans beat and bloodied our own police. They stormed the Senate floor. They tried to hunt down the Speaker of the House. They built a gallows and chanted about murdering the Vice President. They did this because they had been fed wild falsehoods by the most powerful man on Earth -- because he was angry he’d lost an election. Former President Trump’s actions preceding the riot were a disgraceful dereliction of duty. The people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their President.” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (CNN, Feb. 13, 2021)

America deserves better. We did not want Trump to be our president. Time to give the new administration a chance. Is that evidence enough?

Kay Begich
Downey