Peter Kuper

Democrats could draft Schiff

Adam Schiff’s Case for Conviction: A ‘Tour de Force’

To the Editor:

Re “Democrats Assert Trump Was Trying to ‘Cheat’ in ’20 Bid” (front page, Jan. 23):

The brilliant opening presentation on Tuesday by Adam Schiff, the lead House impeachment manager, should be required reading or viewing not only in high school civics classes but also in law school constitutional law and advocacy classes. 

It is a tour de force, framing the fundamental constitutional principles of separation of powers and its historical underpinnings, examined through the narrower prism of the events surrounding the Trump impeachment.

He presented a comprehensive and compelling recitation of the president’s breaches of the Constitution and abuse of power on a remarkable scale, which continued with equal force on Wednesday.

Mr. Schiff’s final appeal to the Senate and the American people not to accept as the new normal the executive’s flouting of the Constitution’s checks and balances, to not simply “get over it” and face the dire threat to our republican form of government, put in plain language before the jurors and the entire country the stark choice confronting us in this trial. 

At the end, he placed the ultimate responsibility upon, and trust in, the Senate jurors in the trial and the American people in the coming election to do the right thing.

Melvin R. Shuster

Philadelphia

To the Editor:

We are leaving out a particularly able, intelligent, articulate and tough Democrat who could really go head to head against President Trump. It’s Representative Adam Schiff. If only he would run. The Democrats could still draft him.

James Adler

Cambridge, Mass.