Trump Acquitted by Most GOP Senators, But Forever Branded as a Traitor to Democracy

Many Americans are distraught this morning because Donald Trump was again able to avoid justice. That's understandable, but the verdict was widely anticipated. The nation's founders made it extraordinarily difficult to remove a President and Trump is still quite popular with many voters in the Republican base, especially white evangelical Christians in the Southeast and Great Plains. GOP Senators from those regions were not going to sacrifice their political futures to convict a President who had already been defeated and left office. Those that did like Mitt Romney and Ben Sasse should be applauded, but political courage is not a hallmark of the GOP these days. It's been amazing [and a bit distressing] to watch once respected Senators like Marco Rubio, Lindsey Graham, and Ted Cruz transform from bitter detractors to spineless Trump lapdogs over the last four years. All three voted to acquit Trump, surprising exactly no one.

Sen. Mitch McConnell mustered the courage to issue a blistering condemnation after voting to let Trump skate again saying, “there’s no question — none — that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events" of January 6th, and was guilty of a “disgraceful dereliction of duty.” But, predictably, Mitch couldn't quite bring himself to vote for conviction, offering a less than convincing constitutional argument.

The final Senate vote was 57-43 to convict, a substantial majority, but not the two-thirds required by the Constitution. Still, as we have argued before, the trial was a worthy endeavor. It leaves us with an indelible record of Donald Trump's treachery and should help to quiet the "stolen election" nonsense once and for all. It may also help Republicans to slowly beat their Trump addiction and excise the lunatic fringe from the Party. At least that's the hope.

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By: Don Lam & Curated Content