“Et Tu Brute?”
This famous Latin line can’t help but cross my mind as more and more headlines about the Democrats proceeding with impeachment charges against President Trump appear on my smartphone. If you don’t know where that line comes from, it originates in the classic tragedy Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare.
You may be wondering what a Shakespearian play has to do with the pending impeachment trial of the President. In fact, the fate of Julius Caesar serves as a cautionary tale to the House Democrats who stand to betray the nation they claim to be protecting.
The Democrats have raised two articles of impeachment against the President: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. These impeachment charges stem from a claim that Trump leveraged military aid to Ukraine to gain a political advantage over a potential opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden.
By withholding funds from Ukraine, President Trump supposedly sought to force that country to open an investigation into Hunter Biden’s place on the board of Burisma Holdings, a major Ukrainian natural gas producer. Hunter was given this seat while his father was Vice President, and Trump points to this as potential corruption. But the Democrats believe that Trump’s curiosity in this matter stems from his own self-interest, and not the nation’s, so he deserves to be impeached.
The problem with impeachment lies in the fact that the charges are not based in any notion that the President is betraying our nation; instead, they originate in the Democrats’ fear of Trump’s re-election. They aren’t seeking to impeach Trump because they love our nation; they are just trying to remove his name from the 2020 ballot. Steven Castor, the top lawyer for Judiciary and Intelligence Committee Republicans, has gone on record to argue that there was a “legitimate basis” for Trump to ask Ukraine to launch an investigation into the Biden family’s dealings in Ukraine.
The truth of the matter is that the evidence against Trump isn’t substantial, revealing the real interests of the Democrats. Shame on these politicians who claim to care for a nation when they are actually seeking their own advantage. If the Democrats weren’t controlled by fear, they would allow our democracy to work in the way it was meant to and let the people vote in November on Trump’s fitness for office.
In this partisan environment, Shakespeare’s classic account of assassination of Julius Caesar and its aftermath is a warning for our time. The Roman emperor was killed by a group of senators who believed that he might become a dictator. The sole reason for their act is found in a line spoken by Brutus: “That at his will he may do danger with.”
Brutus, the man who famously delivered the final blow, tells the Roman people that his reason for killing Caesar was not a lack in love for his friend, but that he “loved Rome more.” Grave consequences followed, even though the senators thought they knew what was best for Rome.
At his funeral oration, Caesar’s loyal confidant Antony exposes the cowardice of the men who murdered Caesar. He turns the crowd away from Brutus’ pleas of patriotism and appeals to the idea that Caesar could have been an honorable leader despite his flaws. In response, one commoner states, “I fear there will a worse come in his place.”
He wasn’t wrong. In short order, Anthony unleashes a bloodbath, declaring war on Brutus and company, who then all meet their deaths. Their consequence for stripping Caesar of his future was losing a future of their own — and ending the republican government in Rome that they sought to protect.
The House Democrats very much resemble Brutus as they attempt to take matters into their own hands. I ask them to look to the fate of Brutus and the others who played a role in killing Caesar. The Democrats may end up suffering the fate they intend to inflict on President Trump when they lose the trust of the American people by taking away their only voice in the matter.
“Et Tu Brute” is a line that represents ultimate betrayal. As an American, I can’t help but feel betrayed by the Democrats in Congress as they attempt to assassinate (metaphorically, at least) a President before a ballot is placed in my hands.
Cady Giles is a third-year undergraduate student at San Diego State University. She is currently studying political science with a minor in English and aspires to be a professor of political science. She is originally from Claremont in Southern California.