By Brian Ostrander, Ethan Tutor
and Mackenzie Gregory
The Scene staff
The impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump has generated plenty of headlines, partisan talking points and passionate arguments on all sides of the political spectrum.
But what do Forest Park students, faculty and staff think?
A random survey conducted by The Scene indicates that most are paying attention and many have strong opinions.
“I f—king hate Trump,” said network engineering major Joel Levy. “He sucks. I disagree with his politics.”
General transfer studies student India Session believes Trump’s alleged corruption is not a new phenomenon, but his recent dealings with Ukraine have shown that “the security of the office is compromised.”
“Holding public officials accountable to legal action is a standard of democracy,” she said. “This inquiry is important because it will reveal the truth to the American people. We don’t have to support corruption.”
Session added: “There needs to be a return to a respect for the office. I have a lot to pray for.”
Too late?
Criminal justice major Azaen White, 18, worries about the timing of the impeachment inquiry.
“I feel like (it’s) not going to play out,” he said. “It’s too late to bring these things up. It’s been almost three years, and Trump is campaigning for 2020 already. If they were serious, they would have filed this a lot sooner.”
White also believes the investigation will further the partisan divide on Capitol Hill.
“We should be more of a unit (with) less infighting,” he said.
General transfer student Jasmine Williams, 24, agrees with White on the timing of the impeachment inquiry.
“It’s a waste of time,” she said. “It is almost over. It’s too late to start an impeachment.”
Adjunct professor Frank Kelton, 37, has no opinion on the impeachment inquiry, at least not one he wants to share publicly.
“I’m apolitical,” he said.
Call to Ukraine
Democratic leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives announced the start of an impeachment inquiry on Sept. 24.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused Trump of violating the U.S. Constitution by soliciting the help of a foreign leader, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, to dig up dirt on former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, a political rival seeking the Democratic nomination in the 2020 presidential election.
Pelosi’s move came in the wake of a whistleblower complaint alleging that Trump asked for this “favor” in a July 25 phone call to Zelensky and that White House officials later took action to cover up the impropriety.
Forest Park pre-pharmacy major Dorian Morgan, 25, supports the impeachment inquiry and would like to see Trump removed from office.
“He deserves whatever he gets,” Morgan said. “He violated the people’s trust and the systems.”
Biotechnology major Nichole Wells, 43, agrees that Trump probably did something wrong and should go to jail, but she believes he still has enough supporters that he could win re-election.
“If he’s impeached, he obviously won’t be elected again,” she said.
The downside to impeachment? Vice President Mike Pence would take over for Trump, and Wells doesn’t think Pence would be any better than Trump as president.
‘Witch hunt’
Trump has been on the defensive in recent weeks, characterizing the impeachment inquiry as another “witch hunt.” Many Republicans have acknowledged that it wasn’t proper for the president to ask a foreign leader for campaign help, but most reject the idea that his actions were impeachable offenses.
Forest Park physical therapy major Nicole Cook, 26, doesn’t buy the “witch hunt” argument.
“You don’t impeach unless there are reasons,” she said. “There’s evidence, and people are going to hear it. If there is an impeachment, that means something must have happened.”
Accusations of corruption are nothing new for the Trump administration. A two-year special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election sought to determine whether Trump and his campaign were involved.
The resulting Mueller Report was submitted to Attorney General William Barr on March 22. It failed to accuse the president of “conspiracy,” but its conclusions remain the subject of contentious debate.
Some people believe the impeachment inquiry could actually hurt, not help Democrats. Even if the House votes to impeach Trump, the Republican-led Senate could refuse to remove him from office, thereby giving him another “victory” and re-election momentum.
Forest Park criminology major Stephen Rone, 22, falls in this group. He worries that Democrats are using too much political capital and fighting the wrong battles leading up to the election, which is only a year away.
On the other hand, Rone is unequivocal on what he thinks should happen to Trump: “He needs to be removed.”
Trust issues
Some students don’t have much of an opinion on the impeachment inquiry, but they dislike Trump for other reasons not related to the Ukrainian scandal.
Mortuary science major Olivia Nowell, 18, is outraged that Trump recently pulled U.S. troops back from fighting in Syria and left the Kurds to fend for themselves against Turkish attackers.
“We completely abandoned our allies,” she said. “We should remain loyal to people and preserve our country’s integrity. … I would like it if Trump and Pence were out.”
Friends and fine arts majors Courtney Kolhik and Alexander Hurst dislike Trump, mainly because of what they described as inappropriate and offensive comments on Twitter and elsewhere.
For Kolhik, 20, an art major, it started with the 2016 release of an 11-year-old recording of Trump talking to “Today” show co-host Billy Bush about how he grabbed women “by the p—y.”
Kolhik also found it “hilarious” when Trump claimed that Mexico would pay for a new U.S. border wall.
“I don’t trust him,” she said. “… I would feel a lot better if he was out of office.”
Hurst, 20, said, “There are some things he’s done that are good, but tons of other things that are terrible. … Even if you like him, he’s still said racist, sexist and homophobic things.”
Some Forest Park students are too busy with classes, jobs and family responsibilities to watch the TV news or read newspapers every day. Others aren’t that interested in Washington, D.C., political dramas.
“I don’t know too much,” said education major Josh Praizner, 30. “I don’t keep up with the news. Last thing I heard is that they haven’t started the (impeachment) process. I just hope Trump doesn’t get elected again.”