2/9/21: Let the impeachment begin! Preliminaries are complete. Senate Majority Leader-at-the-Time Mitch McConnell has already suggested that Donald John Trump incited the attack on Capitol Hill, and he thought impeachment might be a good idea. Then he decided it wasn’t. Democrats sent the Reject-President a letter asking him to come testify at his trial. Don said – as he also said during the Mueller investigation – Nah. No thanks. Not gonna happen.
Then most Republican senators decided that the best way to handle the mess was to pretend they couldn’t do anything about it. Impeachment? Of a person no longer in office? Why that would be unconstitutional!
So, let’s look at two clauses in the U.S. Constitution that
apply. First, Article II, Section 4:
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“The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the
United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction
of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.”
____________________
The first time Trump was impeached, Republicans decided that having the President of the United States pressure the President of Ukraine to find dirt on Hunter and Joe Biden (or else, no military aid for Ukraine) was not a “high Crime” or “Misdemeanor.” It was like an April Fools’ Day prank. It was Trump being Trump! You know: A person suffering from narcissistic personality disorder. Just putting his interests first and national security interests second.
Risking U.S. national security! No big deal! Who would ever think that was a “high crime” or “misdemeanor?”
Since Mitch McConnell was in control of the Senate at the
time, it was decided that no witnesses would be necessary.
This time, the clause that may pertain (since the voters have
already “removed” Trump from office) may be Article I, Section 3, Clause 7:
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Judgment in Cases of Impeachment
shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to
hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States:
but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment,
Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.
____________________
So, for example, had Reject Don shot and killed a CNN reporter (which we all know he would have loved to have done), he could have been impeached, but the Senate could have done no more than remove him from office. He could, however, have faced trial for murder in the courts.
(Unless, Trump had pardoned himself, which he
insisted he could.)
Clearly, then, the Founding Fathers believed that a person impeached could be punished after leaving office.
That includes being barred from
holding any position of trust in the U.S. government in the future.
*
“Trump
is the victim of the never ending hate fueled witch hunt.”
IN ANY CASE, today is Impeachment Day! Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is up early, tweeting in defense of poor, aggrieved Donald J. Trump.
Which means?
Stupidity, and lots of it.
First, Greene insisted (again) that Trump couldn’t have stirred up the rioters on January 6, because the rioters weren’t Trump supporters.
“If the #Jan6 organizers were Trump supporters,” she wondered, “then why did they attack us while we were objecting to electoral college votes for Joe Biden? The attack RUINED our objection that we spent weeks preparing for, which devastated our efforts on behalf of Trump and his voters.”
Okay: That’s an easy one. The rioters didn’t think you had the votes in Congress to stop the certification. Trump said Vice President Pence had screwed him.
Time to riot!
(Cue
the “Hang Mike Pence” chants.)
Greene then tweeted about being scared, herself, during the riot and how thankful she was that GOP colleagues prepared to defend the House floor, whereas we can assume she thought Democrats were cowards because they left the House chamber. I mean, come on! Just because rioters had made it clear they wanted to kill Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
Which, of course, Greene had once suggested might be a promising idea.
Greene then insisted that President Trump could not be blamed for the attack. Instead, he was a victim. “The Capitol attack was planned and organized, NOT incited in the moment by President Trump, and NO Republican Member was involved,” she insisted. “We were ALL victims that day. And once again, Trump is the victim of the never ending hate fueled witch hunt.”
There was a mob, however. And Greene made it clear she hated every diabolical member of that mob.
Because they attacked with microphones, notebooks, and pencils. “This impeachment trial [is] a circus for the Democrat media mob to entertain the masses that they have brainwashed and addicted to hate,” she tweeted, “so they don’t see the Dem policies being rapidly forced into place that are destroying our lives, stealing our freedoms, and putting America last.”
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Like Rep. Greene, and her idol, Donald John Trump, this guy hated reporters. |
*
THE PRESENTATION of cases for and against impeachment fills the
afternoon. Democrats lay out a compelling argument, and present video evidence.
Trump’s lawyers agree. The rioters were horrible, despicable, and contemptable.
Everyone was shocked, outraged, and horrified.
Still, Trump’s defense team insists you can’t impeach him
anymore, because he’s already out of office, and the fact he is accused of impeachable
offenses while he was in office no longer matters.
People died in the riot. Scores of police officers were injured,
many badly. The electoral process was nearly overturned.
Doesn’t matter.
Trump is hunkered down at his safe spot in Mar-a-Lago.
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