Senate Republican leadership has started admitting that it might just have to hold a real impeachment trial. But Donald Trump’s closest allies in the Senate are still looking for ways to throw a House impeachment vote in the trash and move on.
First and foremost among the Republicans trying to short-circuit an impeachment trial is Sen. Lindsey Graham. Yes, the guy who during the 2016 primaries said, “You know how you make America great again? Tell Donald Trump to go to hell,” and also the guy who waxed so outraged about dishonoring the presidency during the Clinton impeachment. Of course.
Graham is currently hanging his hopes of dismissing the impeachment trial immediately on the fact that the House isn’t holding a vote to formally launch the impeachment inquiry. Logic would suggest that the full House voting to impeach would endorse the inquiry, but … logic isn’t the name of the game. Graham is harping on that extensively, saying things like, “In my view, if this process continues, there’s not a formal inquiry … then that would be illegitimate.” (NB: Lindsey Graham’s “view” is not definitive of impeachment procedure.)
Sen. David Perdue is also on Team Shut It Down. “I would absolutely support that given the way this is being conspired in the House,” Perdue said. “What we’re getting is a show trial right now, so when it comes to the Senate, the Senate has an opportunity, I think, to push back on that.” Apparently the way the Senate pushes back on that is to NOT hold a trial, rather than holding a full public trial in which the House makes its case and Trump gets to mount a defense.
These people will do anything to keep the full story of what Trump has done from coming out. And they’re Republicans, so naked, shameless hypocrisy and lying will never be a problem for them.
Graham is holding a press conference Thursday afternoon to keep trying to somehow make this all go away.