In recent weeks, the impeachment managers assembled voluminous evidence – not least, visual evidence from inside and outside the Capitol building on the day of the violent uprising. Watching images of the mob swarming through the marble halls of the Capitol and baying for vengeance, I was startled to realize how the true nature of the event, the degree of its violence and bloody-mindedness, the calls to capture, even assassinate, leading figures in the U.S. government, was not fully known to the American people in real time. It was sickening to watch men and women lugging Confederate symbols and shouting deranged slogans – “1776!” – pound on the doors of members of Congress, eager for violence. It’s no less sickening to imagine the cynicism required of Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Ron Johnson, Lindsey Graham, and so many other Republican senators to dismiss the case as outside the bounds of the Constitution or as an instance of political opportunism.
. . . Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader, also proved to be in only temporary possession of a spine. After sending moralistic “signals” to reporters and colleagues that he was repelled by Trump’s behavior, he declared himself on Saturday morning ready to forgive and forget. “While a close call, I am persuaded that impeachments are a tool primarily of removal and we therefore lack jurisdiction,” he said in an e-mail to his Republican colleagues, saying that he would vote to acquit. McConnell’s note insured that there would be no last-minute turn against Trump. It was, of course, McConnell who had scheduled the trial to take place after Trump was out of office.
The trial ended in a sour acquittal. A shamed ex-President would inevitably declare victory.
. . . But it is no victory at all. . . . In his closing argument, Rep. Jamie Raskin [the lead impeachment manager for Trump’s trial] quoted a Black Capitol Police officer who, after being called the N-word repeatedly, after his fellow-officers were beaten, abused, bashed with flag poles, and sprayed with bear repellent, asked, “Is this America?”
History will judge Donald Trump severely for his crimes against the United States.
Related Off-site Links:
Senate Acquits Trump in Impeachment Trial – Again – Domenico Montanaro (NPR News, February 13, 2021).
Trump Acquitted in Impeachment Trial; 7 GOP Senators Vote With Democrats to Convict – Dareh Gregorian (NBC News, February 13, 2021).
43 Republicans Condemned for “Cowardice” as Senate Votes to Acquit Donald Trump – Jake Johnson (Common Dreams, February 13, 2021).
After Acquitting Trump, McConnell Slams Him for a “Disgraceful Dereliction of Duty” – Sahil Kapur (NBC News, February 13, 2021).
Republicans Are Now the Party of Lawlessness and Disorder – Christopher D. Cook (Common Dreams, February 13, 2021).
UPDATES: An Escape, Not an Exoneration for Donald Trump – Peter Baker (The New York Times via The Irish Times, February 14, 2021).
Now Is the Time to Really Prosecute the Case Against Trump – By Pivoting to Real Democratic Reform – Jeffrey C. Isaac (Common Dreams, February 14, 2021).
Who Were the Republican Senators Afraid of When They Acquitted Their Own Attempted Murderer? – Juan Cole (Informed Comment, February 14, 2021).
Impeachment Isn’t the Final Word on Capitol Riot for Trump – Colleen Long (AP News, February 14, 2021).
Support Grows for Riot Inquiry After “Heartbreaking” Verdict – Hope Yen (AP News, February 14, 2021).
Nancy Pelosi Announces Plans for 9/11-style Commission to Examine Capitol Riot – Joanna Walters (The Guardian, February 15, 2021).
Lawsuit Accuses Trump, Giuliani and Others of Conspiring to Incite Capitol Riot – Aaron Katersky (ABC News, February 16, 2021).
There’s a “Smoking Gun” Connecting Trump to Capitol Insurrection: An Interview with Greg Palast – Scott Harris (Between the Lines, February 17, 2021).
“No Evidence” of Election Fraud in Battleground States, Statistical Analysis Finds As Trump Continues False Claims – Alison Durkee (Forbes, February 19, 2021).
Law Enforcement Officials Lay Out Evidence Capitol Riot Was “Coordinated” Attack – John Bowden (MSN News, February 23, 2021).
See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Dan Rather on America’s “Moment of Reckoning”
• Acknowledging Where We Are
• The Republican Party in a Nutshell
• Quote of the Day – January 7, 2021
• Insurrection at the United States Capitol
• Donald Trump’s Open and Shameless Criminality
• Trump’s Legacy
• Marianne Williamson on America’s “Cults of Madness”
• “The Republican Party Has Now Made It Official: They Are a Cult”
• “Fascism Is Upon Us”
• Cornel West: Quote of the Day – December 3, 2020
• Progressive Perspectives on the 2020 U.S. Election Results
• Republicans Don’t Care About Demorcacy
• Trump’s Playbook
Image: Rep. Jamie Raskin tears up while talking with fellow impeachment managers and staff after the Senate voted to acquit former President Donald Trump at his second Senate impeachment trial – Washington, DC, February 13, 2021.
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