Dear John,

Last month a bipartisan majority in the House voted to impeach President Trump under the article of incitement of insurrection. Today, his trial began in the Senate.

This is the second impeachment trial for President Trump. Last year he was impeached under two different articles: one for abuse of power and another for obstruction of Congress' legitimate investigation of his actions.

During last year's trial, the Senate's duty was to determine whether President Trump should have been removed from office for these actions. This year, our duty is to determine whether he should be barred from ever returning to federal office.

It is important that you know how seriously I take this duty. This is not about scoring cheap political points, it's about upholding our oaths to the constitution and preserving our democracy.

When President Trump encouraged violent rioters to storm our nation's Capitol last month, he endangered the lives of lawmakers, staff, reporters, and essential workers, and put our democracy at risk. He must be held accountable for these actions. We cannot have unity without accountability.

Thank you,

Chris