Democrats have painted themselves into an unnecessary corner. They are in a rush to draft Articles of Impeachment and hold a trial of President Trump in the Senate so it won’t interfere with Democrats running to defeat Trump next November.

The inherent contradiction contained in this plan suggests they are well aware that the votes for removal aren’t there, so why enact the charade? Instead, they should continue to slowly and methodically investigate wrong-doing by the president and his minions as the campaign goes forward.

Trump will surely cry witch-hunt at every opportunity, but he is also a target-rich environment certain to provide plenty of new evidence for the many Inspector Javerts on his trail. He can, thus, be allowed to continue to help convict himself out of his own mouth and twitter account.

Investigations have only begin to scratch the surface of his maladministration, and over the next year diligent pursuit seems likely to produce a long list of impeachable offenses to add to the already known abuses of power, obstructions of justice, and bribery outlined in the Mueller Report and now revealed in the Ukraine quid pro query.

This choice of how to proceed would allow court cases seeking documentary evidence to bear fruit, and permit the courts to rule that Mulvaney, Pence, Pompeo, McGahn and a cast of thousands of enablers are required to testify.

It would also reassert the co-equal power of the legislative branch to oversee and of the judiciary to limit executive power. Allowing a quadrennial campaign to go forward simultaneously with an investigation to produce evidence of presidential misbehavior would also permit voters to make a more informed choice.

If Trump were to win on Nov.3, 2020, the Congress could proceed to impeach him on Nov. 4 with a greatly enlarged and better documented bill of particulars. If Trump were to lose, the evidence of criminality could be turned over to federal and state prosecutors and used to bring to justice a malefactor no longer protected by executive privilege, a partisan Congress, and a Justice Department led by a Trump-appointed Attorney General who has shown himself willing to turn a blind eye to illegality and corruption.

Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum is a Latin legal phrase, meaning “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.” Who, other than the guilty, could object?