"Put country over politics": Veterans call for lawmakers to impeach Trump

Despite all the hue and cry United States President Donald Trump displayed when it came to caring about the country's veterans, it appears that he has fallen short of his 2016 campaign promises. While the mainstream narrative suggests that all military veterans back the President, it appears that this is not the case. Over Tuesday and Wednesday, a group of veterans met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., in order to persuade them to vote for Trump's impeachment. The group of military veterans focused particularly on lawmakers that they believed could sway the critical vote, The Hill reports.

The coalition group known as Defend American Democracy, comprising of veterans as well as other groups focused on national security, allegedly called on the lawmakers to "put country over politics" and prioritize the sanctity of the United States democracy first. They held discussions with Republicans and moderate Democrats so as to persuade them to support impeachment. The discussions were held right after House Democrats released two articles of impeachment early on Tuesday morning. As per Alex Babcock, an Army veteran from Florida, the group paid most attention to those lawmakers from "purple" states, the ones that were more "convincible" than others.

Babock explained, "We feel like they may be more apt to listen to a message that resonates, that might sway them away from their traditional party line, which is just back the president, no matter what. We're appealing to their values as individual leaders to think for themselves and to embrace our perspective." The passionate group of military veterans had several meetings scheduled with Rep. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.) and Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) in addition to the staff of Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.), Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).

According to Babock, "[Veterans have a] critical role in democracy." This is mostly because people “may be more apt to listen” to their points of view. "We're doing this because we truly believe in this," he affirmed. "And we believe in our country, which is why we signed up in the first place." Additionally, he hopes to disrupt the perspective that all military veterans support Trump. Along the same lines, Tashandra Poullard, a Navy veteran from Houston, is performing this outreach so she can ensure that there is no foreign interference in the upcoming election process. She said, "The last thing I want is for my legacy to be blemished by serving people who did not understand nor respect the Constitution of the United States of America." She wishes to ask Republicans, "Is it more important to protect and defend the Constitution or protect one individual that feels that they are above the law?" Of course, we all know that the former is far more imperative, but the American people probably won't know how their elected representatives feel until it comes time to vote on the two articles of impeachment the House Democrats announced Tuesday.