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In an editorial in CT (Christianity Today), which was founded by Rev. Billy Graham, the editor Mark Galli argued that Trump should be removed from office because of his conduct. (“Trump Should Be Removed from Office,” December 19). This editorial caused a big stir; even the president responded to it. I have no illusions that anything I say will have the impact of Mr. Galli’s editorial, but I feel that it needs to be said, especially after reading some of the columns in the Queens Jewish Link’s December 26 issue.

Most people are familiar with the criminal break-in at the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters in the Watergate Hotel. Another illegal act involved breaking into Daniel Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office. Daniel Ellsberg was the person who leaked what was later called the Pentagon Papers (Report of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Vietnam Task Force) to the Washington Post in June 1971. At the time that the information was leaked, the Nixon administration went to court to try to stop the Washington Post from publishing the papers. Only a portion of the report was leaked. The entire report was released in 2011.

My regular readers know that I rarely write about Israeli politics. I only recall one article. I avoid the subject for two main reasons. It is not my place as an American living in New York to tell Israelis what to do or think. Secondly, it is hard half a world away to get a feel of the players involved, whether it is the elected officials, the media, or ordinary citizens. I must be in Israel and be on top of daily political machinations to be able to have a reasonable basis to comment on the situation in Israel. There are others who feel differently so I will make some general remarks to them.

The president and I have something in common: Neither one of us served in the armed forces. Trump got a doctor to get him a medical deferment from serving in the military during the Vietnam War, and by the time I turned 18 there was no longer any draft.

So much has happened this past week that it is hard to decide what to address. I decided that it would be best to discuss various issues that may have been underreported.

As of Sunday, November 17, 2019, when I wrote my column, there had only been three witnesses who testified in open session at President Trump’s impeachment hearing: Acting Ukraine Ambassador William Taylor, Assistant Deputy Secretary of State George Kent, and the former United States Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovich.