Trump's grift: grist for the impeachment mill?

 "Remove Trump" will be one of the themes in demonstrations on May 1, according to organizers' announcements. One way the removal of the president happens in our democracy is through impeachment. Trump may just have given his opponents some ammunition to impeach him when he offered access to him at dinners for the top buyers of his meme coin.   For more on Trump's meme coin and cryptocurrency ventures and how Trump and his family benefit. https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2025/03/how-trump-administration-is-clearing.html 

Other removal methods include political pressure to force resignation and the 25th Amendment outlined below, which is less likely given the loyalists Trump appointed to the cabinet, whose action is required first before a vote by Congress.)The question about impeachment is whether 'high crimes and misdemeanors,' the impeachment-charging required words, if such charges can be proven, and if enough Congresspeople will support it. Could Trump's grift be enough grist for the impeachment mill?

 There is more than just a stench of corruption in the Trump administration that could serve as a basis for impeachment and removal. Possibly the most damning evidence is that report of  Trump's recent offering moonlight dinners with him to the highest domestic or foreign buyer, of his meme coin, the profits of which from sales go into his pockets. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-coin-dinner-with-president-meme-coin-price/  That is a starting point, the low-hanging fruit. For more about Trump and corruption, see https://mufticforumblog.blogspot.com/2025/03/how-trump-administration-is-clearing.html  

How meme coins work. https://community.magiceden.io/learn/how-to-buy-meme-coins  It uses blockchain technology.  https://aws.amazon.com/what-is/blockchain/   Meme coins are a form of crypto. 

On April 8, 2025 the Trump administration's controlled Department of Jusice closed down its crypto section.  As Trump now raises money for himself, the use of crypto technology like meme coins and cryptocurrency is now free of federal law enforcement scrutiny. https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-justice-dept-disbands-cryptocurrency-enforcement-unit-2025-04-08/

Crypto itself it is a favorite of those who want to disguise their transaction since the buyers and the exchanges that facilitate trades and transactions only record the "address" of the participant and not the name. Transactions can be traced but they take time, effort, and skill for law enforcement to trace to actors. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptocurrency_and_crime#   Per Google AI, cryptocurrency transactions are generally traceable due to the blockchain's public ledger and the reporting requirements of exchanges. While not directly tied to a person's name, transactions are recorded with public addresses and can be traced through blockchain analysis and by linking these addresses to individuals through exchanges or other data. 

For simplistic descriptions of crypto, Google AI has  the best.  Search google: what is crypto

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/29/us/politics/trump-crypto-world-liberty-financial.html

 Disagreement with policies, gutting agency functions by laying off personnel, and a personal liking of Putin, or even tanking the economy, are part of Trump's executive functions and are not strong arguments for meeting the criteria of high crimes and misdemeanors. (Thanks to the Supreme Court, he has immunity from criminal prosecution.) Evidence that leads to impeachment takes convincing proof, and there is lengthy argumentation to make the case, much like a trial.  It is, however, not like a criminal trial before a jury, since the final outcome is loss of a political position, the presidency. It is a political act voted on by elected politicians. 

 The political value of impeachment threats for Democrats would be that the political blowback might influence public opinion sufficiently to convince enough of the spineless House GOP to vote with the Democrats for impeachment before the midterms. That is a slim possibility, made even slimmer by Trump's willingness to use his powers of revenge, retribution, and funding primaries to prevent party revolts from happening.  Otherwise, it will take Democrats getting the House majority in the midterms.  

Trump may also be sensitive to his vulnerability to accusations of corruption. True to his modus over the years is to charge his opponents with the same charges they levy against him, setting up a propaganda initiative of false equivalences. It has political value because it does allow his propaganda media to wag tongues of "what about", as if two wrongs make it right. That pre-emptive strike began on 4/25/2025, with Trump directing loyal AG Pam Bondi via a publicly written memorandum, signed with a flourish, to "investigate" the Democratic Party's fundraising vehicle, Act Blue. GOP  congresspeople have suspicions of wrongdoing, though no hard evidence was presented. Musk claimed, "Something stinks". https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/27/politics/elon-musk-republicans-target-actblue/index.html That is not the way serious criminal prosecution by a prosecutor usually works.  It is putting the cart before the horse, inferring guilt without a trial, publicly announcing it with trumpets blaring. There is a crime with "probable cause" that was not first found by a grand jury.   It looks like  "What about Act Blue" is a political act by a bully abusing his power, in anticipation of being charged himself for accepting bribes from foreign actors to gain access to the Oval Office.  

What are the chances Trump would be removed from office by the Senate even if he is impeached?. Normally, it is very unlikely because the makeup of the Senate, which has the power to convict and remove, is rarely one-sided enough.  But these are not normal times, nor is Trump a normal political actor. Trump has already survived two impeachments held by a Democratic-controlled House, but the effort died in the Senate for lack of the supermajority of 2/3 required by the Constitution to remove him.  There will be an impeachment if there is a change of control in the House in the 2026 midterms. Democrats are likely to retake it the House majority, per pundits and pollsters.  Only a simple majority, 1 plus 50%,  is required by the House to impeach (similar to a grand jury finding probable cause to believe a crime was committed).  A Senate supermajority is a big hill to climb without a revolt from Trump's own party. There are not enough Senate seats up for grabs in 2026 that would give Democrats a 2/3 control of the Senate needed to oust Trump by themselves. It will take enough very brave GOP defectors to make Trump's removal happen.

If anything, the public, lay people, non-lawyers, has a recent history of the impeachment of Trump to serve as a refresher course on impeachment. Trump has also learned some lessons from his first term's two successful impeachments. For the public, impeachment does not get Trump removed. It takes a supermajority of the Senate and many defections from his own party to find him guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors, and a guilty verdict did not happen twice..  For Trump, his lesson about impeachment without conviction was just sound and fury signifying nothing, and he returned after one defeat to a second term.

Google: AI The U.S. Constitution outlines two primary ways to remove the president: impeachment and the 25th Amendment. Impeachment, as described in Article II, Section 4, requires the House of Representatives to bring articles of impeachment, which are then tried by the Senate. The Senate must vote to convict with a two-thirds majority for removal. The 25th Amendment addresses situations where a president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office, allowing the vice president and cabinet to declare the president's inability. Congress then determines whether the president is unable to serve.