Now that the Articles of Impeachment have been formally delivered to Mitch McConnell's Senate and Chief Justice Roberts has solemnly sworn in all Senators, what will most Americans take away from the proceedings if no witnesses are allowed to be called? At this point in time, no one knows whether McConnell will allow any witnesses to be called to testify for or against the president in the "trial." (see: www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/house-managers-head-senate-present-read-articles-impeachment-trial-n1117001).
As someone who studies the history of our nation's founding and the players involved in that effort, I find it very difficult to accept that they would think it reasonable to have the serious charges of impeachment so easily wiped away by the highly-partisan leadership of the Contras. The Framers were serious people who took matters very seriously (no one ever accused Hamilton of not being serious -especially after he participated in his ill-fated duel with Aaron Burr).
The Framers expected the Senate, the "higher more deliberative chamber" to engage serious thought when dealing with charges indicting a sitting president for wrongdoing. But Mitch McConnell and his Contra followers can't seem to get their partisanship out of their own way. Why else would they pre-determine the outcome of the "trial" without considering any evidence? (See: www.wsj.com/articles/lawmakers-huddle-amid-trump-impeachment-impasse-11578420162). Why else would they claim the impeachment is a "hoax" when the president himself has balked at complying with any evidentiary demands made by the House of Representatives. With full knowledge of the precedent the Senate is setting, they must know that witnesses will reveal not only the extent of the president's wrongdoing, but also perhaps their own GOP congressional colleagues' active engagement in the very same cover-ups of wrongdoing. Why else would they risk permanently destroying the independence of Congress from the Executive as clearly established under Article I of the US Constitution? Why would they throw away over 239 years of precedent to save one man? Could it be that Trump found willing participants in his wrongdoing directly from the Chambers of the House and Senate? According to Lev Parnas, an indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani, the Ranking Member of House Intelligence Committee, David Nunes was actively engaged in wrongdoing, all the while failing to inform colleagues of his wrongful conduct on behalf of Trump. Now we hear that GOP Senators Lindsey Graham and Johnson have also been working with Trump and his team of miscreants. On top of this all? Mitch McConnell admitting publicly that he is coordinating the entire trial with the Trump defense team. (See: www.rawstory.com/2020/01/lindsey-graham-joins-devin-nunes-in-being-implicated-by-lev-parnas-during-maddow-interview/).
So much for Checks and Balances our wise framers created. They must be idiots to have thought Contras would ever prove to be patriots instead of the hyper-partisan hypocritical hacks they really are. And now that the Government Accounting Office has determined it WAS a criminal act to withhold the congressionally authorized military aid to Ukraine, the Contras become mute and want us all to forget their initial "no crime was committed" bullshit. (See: www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/impeachment-inquiry-12-18-2019/h_7f48389c33bd70d834541fd3360198da and www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/01/16/gao-severely-rebukes-trumps-ukraine-ploy-undermines-his-no-crime-defense/).
So as the "Impeachment Trial of the Century" gets underway, just remember one thing. No one is above the law - perhaps unless you are a GOP/Contra. Have a great week.
As someone who studies the history of our nation's founding and the players involved in that effort, I find it very difficult to accept that they would think it reasonable to have the serious charges of impeachment so easily wiped away by the highly-partisan leadership of the Contras. The Framers were serious people who took matters very seriously (no one ever accused Hamilton of not being serious -especially after he participated in his ill-fated duel with Aaron Burr).
The Framers expected the Senate, the "higher more deliberative chamber" to engage serious thought when dealing with charges indicting a sitting president for wrongdoing. But Mitch McConnell and his Contra followers can't seem to get their partisanship out of their own way. Why else would they pre-determine the outcome of the "trial" without considering any evidence? (See: www.wsj.com/articles/lawmakers-huddle-amid-trump-impeachment-impasse-11578420162). Why else would they claim the impeachment is a "hoax" when the president himself has balked at complying with any evidentiary demands made by the House of Representatives. With full knowledge of the precedent the Senate is setting, they must know that witnesses will reveal not only the extent of the president's wrongdoing, but also perhaps their own GOP congressional colleagues' active engagement in the very same cover-ups of wrongdoing. Why else would they risk permanently destroying the independence of Congress from the Executive as clearly established under Article I of the US Constitution? Why would they throw away over 239 years of precedent to save one man? Could it be that Trump found willing participants in his wrongdoing directly from the Chambers of the House and Senate? According to Lev Parnas, an indicted associate of Rudy Giuliani, the Ranking Member of House Intelligence Committee, David Nunes was actively engaged in wrongdoing, all the while failing to inform colleagues of his wrongful conduct on behalf of Trump. Now we hear that GOP Senators Lindsey Graham and Johnson have also been working with Trump and his team of miscreants. On top of this all? Mitch McConnell admitting publicly that he is coordinating the entire trial with the Trump defense team. (See: www.rawstory.com/2020/01/lindsey-graham-joins-devin-nunes-in-being-implicated-by-lev-parnas-during-maddow-interview/).
So much for Checks and Balances our wise framers created. They must be idiots to have thought Contras would ever prove to be patriots instead of the hyper-partisan hypocritical hacks they really are. And now that the Government Accounting Office has determined it WAS a criminal act to withhold the congressionally authorized military aid to Ukraine, the Contras become mute and want us all to forget their initial "no crime was committed" bullshit. (See: www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/impeachment-inquiry-12-18-2019/h_7f48389c33bd70d834541fd3360198da and www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/01/16/gao-severely-rebukes-trumps-ukraine-ploy-undermines-his-no-crime-defense/).
So as the "Impeachment Trial of the Century" gets underway, just remember one thing. No one is above the law - perhaps unless you are a GOP/Contra. Have a great week.
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