John Cornyn: “the hallmark of American democracy, the single greatest feature that sets us apart from every other country in the…”

“the hallmark of American democracy, the single greatest feature that sets us apart from every other country in the world, is the peaceful transition of power that occurs every 4 or sometimes every 8 years on January 20. It is a legacy we inherited from our forefathers and one that generations of Americans have fought hard throughout our history to protect. It is a remarkable moment. The most powerful person in the world bows to the will of the people and sits only a few yards away as the next President takes the oath of office. Think about the wars that have been fought throughout history over who the next leader of a country would be. Yet, in America, dating back to 1797, when Washington willingly passed the torch to Adams, the peaceful transition of power has defined the American Presidency. But a growing body of evidence suggests that the January 20, 2017, inauguration of President Donald Trump was an exception to that hallowed tradition. Since the FBI launched its Russia probe in July 2016, there has been no shortage of stories about what did or did not happen in the months leading up to that election. For the better part of 3 years, the speculation dominated headlines and news feeds, with even the smallest details consuming hours of airtime. Beyond the Russian active measures campaign, which we know did happen, there was a lot of attention focused on the Trump campaign itself.…”