A majority of senators voted to convict Trump — 57 to 43, including seven Republicans. But two-thirds, or 67 votes, was needed to convict. Republican dissenters said that he should be tried criminally after office, not impeached.
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the minority leader, embodied the tortured balancing act, denouncing Mr. Trump on Saturday, minutes after voting to acquit him, for a “disgraceful dereliction of duty.” In blistering remarks from the Senate floor, Mr. McConnell, who had openly considered voting to convict Mr. Trump, effectively argued that he was guilty as charged, while arguing that there was nothing the Senate could do about it.
“There is no question — none — that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day,” Mr. McConnell said. “The leader of the free world cannot spend weeks thundering that shadowy forces are stealing our country and then feign surprise when people believe him and do reckless things.”
But Mr. McConnell, who refused to call the Senate back into session to hold the trial while Mr. Trump was still in office, argued that he could not be convicted once he no longer was. Mr. McConnell said the only way to punish him now was through the criminal justice system. Mr. Trump, he said, “didn’t get away with anything yet.”
Flash forward to today. Now Trump defenders say that a President is immune from prosecution for illegal acts committed during and apparently after his time in office and can not be convicted. They say he can only be impeached. Heads I win, tails I win...
Sounds like a classic double game.
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I will miss Chris Christie. One of the few republicans that would speak the truth about Trump. I disagree with him on many matters of policy, including abortion rights, but think he would have been a tolerable President. I can't say the same about any of the other current GOP candidates for office.
Unfortunately he had zero traction with the MAGA crowd.
3 comments:
Again you miss the forest for the stumps you are obsessed with...there had only been
two, count em two, impeachments in recorded histrionics, and both were for reprehensible characters that should have been thrown out.
Along comes the only female speaker of the house ever and we get...whoa, TWO impeachments in successive years. Why? Because a certain president had called this speaker, to her face, the obvious, that she was the worst politician, in the oval office of all places, for all the civilized world to hear.
Hell hath no fury...but her pissing match went nowhere, save for a small RINO eruption
from the likes of Mitt and Co.
It's gonna be some soap opera when MAGA part 2 gets put in place and Karma sets in.
A liberal mind is a terrible thing to get wasted.
John Birch
I will not respond Millard because it of my asymmetric position on this blog and it would be unfair to you for me to go off on you. I will let others do that if they so wish, I don't give a shit. But you might have a moment of introspection and consider your own considerable myopia re: your beloved orange fuhrer.
I will pass along your comment to Mssr. Birch. I am sure he will take it to heart...
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