As the impeachment proceedings move forward, our representatives in Congress must consider the foundational precept of our republic: that our government and its institutions of diplomacy and law enforcement function at the behest and for the benefit of the people of the United States — rather than a powerful individual or a foreign government. Our criminal laws governing the behavior of public officials are one articulation of that principle. But they are not the only consideration here. In fact, whether the president and his cronies’ actions violate each element of the bribery statute, in a way that is provable beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law, is a distraction. The very possibility that the criminal law has been broken is evidence that President Trump participated in multiple abuses of power.

There is now little doubt that President Trump and his associates could face federal indictment for this scheme, if and when there is a Justice Department committed to fully and fairly consider it. But the operative question facing our elected representatives, and our country, is whether the president should be allowed to continue serving in an office of public trust.

To call for the removal of a president is not something that should be done easily. The actions of the president must be so unforgivable, the abuses of power so heinous, that it is the only option for the good of the nation. In this case, it is.

There are many pundits who will opine that removing a president is divisive and unprecedented. It is true that no president has ever been removed from office through the impeachment process. But that just speaks to how rare it has been for a president to even get to the point we are at now. And while it is certainly true that there are people who would be upset by his removal from office, the far greater risk lies in allowing this president, with this explicitly illegal, immoral and unjust track record of abusing the power of his office for his personal electoral benefit, to participate in future elections. Doing so would deprive the people of their constitutional right to choose their leader in a free, open and fair election.

It is for the love of country, and for the rights of its citizens, that the president must be removed. And it is an act of love for the dignity and respect of the office of the president of the United States that this president must be removed before he further sullies it with his abuses of power. Congress faces the uncomfortable duty to act to redeem the presidency by no longer allowing it to remain in this condition.

After today, there can be no question that the only action left for patriotic Americans is to call for the impeachment, conviction and removal of President Trump.