Some passing drivers honked in support, but one woman in an SUV, stopped at the intersection of River and Main streets, rolled down her window and shouted, “Put Hillary in jail.” Hillary Clinton ran against Trump for president in 2016.

“We’re here for the fundamental rules of the Constitution,” said Kathy Hogan of Saranac Lake. “I feel that bribery is bribery is bribery. I think that no one is above the law, and it’s time for Trump to move on and let someone that we, the people, can trust take his spot.”

The protest comes a few days after the Congressional House Judiciary Committee approved articles of impeachment for Trump. A full House vote is set for today.

–

Kathy Recchia of Saranac Lake wears a poncho supporting President Donald Trump’s impeachment during a protest at Riverside Park in Saranac Lake Tuesday. (Enterprise photo — Griffin Kelly)

Article of impeachment

–

On Friday, the House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee moved forward with two articles of impeachment for Trump in a 23-17 vote. All the Democratic members voted yes, and all the Republican members voted no.

The first article is for allegedly withholding military funding to Ukraine in exchange for an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Biden is one of Trump’s leading opponents heading into the 2020 election. After withholding the aid, Trump asked Ukraine’s president for the investigation as a “favor” in a July phone call.

The second article accuses Trump of blocking testimony and not providing documents to the House Judiciary Committee during the impeachment inquiry.

More than 40 protesters gathered at Riverside Park in Saranac Lake Tuesday, advocating for President Donald Trump’s impeachment. (Enterprise photo — Catherine Moore)

The full House is required to make a two-thirds majority vote for the impeachment process to continue. After that, the Senate would hold a trial for Trump toward the start of 2020 with all 100 senators acting as the jury.

If the impeachment goes to Senate trial, Trump will be only the third president in U.S. history to be formally impeached. The other two were Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998.

However, unlike the House, the Senate has a Republican majority, so many view Trump’s removal as not likely. A two-thirds Senate majority would be required.

–

Protesters

–

When asked why he was protesting, Bob Glennon of Ray Brook began to tear up.

“I cruised on student deferments during the Vietnam War,” he said. “The least I can do is show up here and get that loathsome, vile, slime-mold creature, who’s corrupting the entire U.S. executive branch, out.”

Allen and Martha Lumley drove an-hour-and-a-half from Edwards, St. Lawrence County, to attend the protest.

“It was closer than protests in Glens Falls and Burlington,” Martha said. “I have 12 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, and I want the world to be around when they grow up.”

Kathy Recchia of Saranac Lake wore a blue poncho that said, “Impeach and remove.”

“It’s reversible,” she said. “The other side was for the Women’s March in New York City two years ago.”

Also at the protest was Franklin County District 7 Legislator Lindy Ellis, D-Saranac Lake. She said she believes Trump’s removal is necessary, but the Senate will probably not make that happen.

“If these articles of impeachment are not impeachable, then what is?” she said. “He has been reversing actions on so many different levels that are going to impact our national security, our ability to be economically viable and our environment. He needs to be taken out of office.”

–

A different view

–

Ray Scollin, who is the former chair of the Franklin County Republican Party and held the position for six years, said in a phone interview that he doesn’t see any grounds for impeachment.

“The two articles of impeachment are very broad,” he said. “Normally, presidential impeachments are very specific, and they cover concrete crimes like bribery. The ones put forward deal with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. I think that speaks volumes that the (House Judiciary Committee) did not do a good job of providing a substantial reason for impeachment to the American people.”

Scollin said he would not have a problem with Congress impeaching Trump, but he doesn’t think there is enough evidence to do so.

“This has just been the political process that comes after the Mueller report, which found nothing,” he said. “The Democrats have been unhappy with the election result in 2016 and have done anything they can to reverse it. It’s led to constant hearings and nothing being done in Washington.”

Scollin said the impeachment process will likely hurt Democratic support in the 2020 elections, swaying independents toward the Republican vote.

“Maybe not in the Senate elections but definitely in the presidential election, and I think the effects will trickle down into House elections, too,” he said.

Scollin said the current political climate is aggressive and that major disputes across the aisle started long before Trump considered running for office.

“I’ll be glad when Democrats and Republicans can work together again,” he said. “We should be able to talk and not argue all the time. For a while, it’s just been a lot of finger-pointing and hollering and name-calling. It’s very discouraging, and I think it’s going to be a long time before America heals. And this did not start with Trump. It started in the Bill Clinton era. That’s kind of when both parties went off the rails and we started seeing a very polar electorate.”