So where was he on the due process issue in the case of the Central Park Five, accused of beating and raping a young white woman in New York in 1989? Oh yes, I remember. He took out a full-page ad in The New York Times and three other papers calling for the execution of the boys, ages 14 to 16 — before their trial. They were completely exonerated 17 years ago after the real attacker, already in prison for something else, confessed and was tied to the crime scene by DNA and other physical evidence. In June of this year, Donald Trump still refused to acknowledge their innocence, much less apologize for calling publicly for their executions.

Republicans, I present you your hero of due process.

Stephen Benko

Southport, Conn.

To the Editor:

There is a lesson from apartheid South Africa that is relevant to the impeachment trial and why it must be taken seriously. My father, the late Jules Browde, was the chairman of Lawyers for Human Rights during that draconian rule. He said: “There are some cases you fight because you know you can win. There are others you fight because it is the right thing to do.”

Apartheid came to an end, and I believe that this era of blatant corruption by this president and his protectors will, too.

Paul Browde

New York

To the Editor:

I wish the Democrats would be honest and state that they impeached President Trump solely because they can and have been wanting to do so ever since he won the election. They are dishonest in stating that they are sad about it and that this is about constitutional integrity. They did it just because they could, even though they know full well that the evidence and testimony are not compelling enough to win a conviction in the Senate.

In fact, Nancy Pelosi’s statement that she might delay sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate demonstrates that it was all about politics as opposed to the integrity of the process. The House Democrats must expedite sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate and accept the constitutional checks and balances on their own power that they imposed on Mr. Trump. Failure to do so jeopardizes our Constitution more than what Mr. Trump ever did.

James S. Kennedy

Smyrna, Tenn.

To the Editor:

Gail Collins’s Dec. 19 column, “Impeachment May Drive Trump Batty,” injected some much needed light humor into the polarized and deeply contentious process of impeachment. It also inspired a question: What can Chief Justice John Roberts do to ensure due process and faithful interpretation of the Constitution in the impeachment trial?

It would seem that he should have the power and the responsibility to insist on subpoenas being served and enforced to important witnesses that the White House and Mitch McConnell have thus far refused to allow. All pertinent witnesses and all elucidating avenues must be pursued so that the full facts will emerge and justice will indeed be done.