To the Editor:

Re “Impeachment Articles Say Trump Abused Power, Damaging Nation” (front page, Dec. 11):

The House Democrats are, as usual, likely to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by wrapping up a narrow impeachment inquiry, impeaching President Trump on only a scintilla of his crimes and omitting others for which there is ample evidence — emoluments violations, campaign finance felonies, ties to the Russian mafia and money laundering, fraud by Trump University and the Trump Foundation charity, and sex crimes.

The Senate trial will end quickly and be long forgotten by November. Instead, Democrats in the House should take advantage of the spotlight and hold evidentiary hearings lasting months, understanding full well that it will be the allegations, not the conviction, that will do Mr. Trump in.

If there was a monthlong hearing about just the emoluments violations, followed by another month of woman after woman who say they were sexually assaulted by Mr. Trump, including those who were paid off with hush money in violation of federal campaign finance laws, Mr. Trump would continue to lose his grip, and his re-election campaign would be stymied by his inability to focus on anything other than the impeachment hearings.

There is not a chance in hell of getting a conviction in the Senate. But that doesn’t mean that Democrats can’t get every one of his crimes in the public spotlight during the campaign.