Moscow Mitch needs to gather up five of his Republican Senator cohorts, stroll into the Oval Office, and give the occupant a choice: Resign now, gather up the kids, and hop on a plane bound for Russia to seek asylum. Or else we will have twenty votes for impeachment, AND the first thing Mikey Pence will do when sworn in is fire Bill Barr’s repugnant ass and send your repugnant ass to jail with Roger Stone and the boys.
Mitch faces a strong chance that with Trump on the ticket he will lose control of the Senate and possibly be voted out himself. With more than half of the country now favoring conviction and removal, for Republicans to vote for acquittal and give Trump free rein to screw around for another year will surely do them all in — or a very significant number of them.
By throwing Trump under the bus Mitch can have in Pence a President much easier to control and much less of a headache. Pence might even have a chance to win in 2020, and even if he loses, he will retain the enthusiasm of the evangelicals who will see him as The Real Savior (Trump having merely been used as a bridge in God’s plan). This may save the Senate seats Mitch needs to keep.
Trump is a bigger liability than Pence would ever be for Mitch. The only question I have is how much longer is Mitch going to put up with this.