No gutless Republican Senator should be allowed to hide behind McConnell during the Republican’s sham of an impeachment trial. The same McConnell who soberly lied to the Senate and to the nation that he had no choice but to not allow Obama’s Supreme Court nomination to proceed, a blatant lie to which every Republican Senator was happy to remain silent about.
McConnell didn’t care about the truth, and neither did Senate Republicans. They had the power and they were willing to lie to the people to use it.
The Democratic House Mangers and Democratic Senators should quit wasting their breath criticizing McConnell and direct their attacks to the Republican body of the Senate who knew that when McConnell said the Clinton model would be followed McConnell was lying. The Republican Senators knew what was going to be voted on; every single one was coordinated with to ensure Republicans marched in lock-step.
Republicans have the power and they are going to use it.
It isn’t McConnell that is rushing the process, refusing to call witnesses, refusing to admit evidence. It is the Republican members of the Senate. Each and every one controls their vote, and each is responsible for every single thing McConnell does in their name.
Democrats should refer to the Republican Senators’ silence for what it is: a continuation of the Republican Party’s cover-up. A continuation of fighting against the American people learning first-hand the truth.
A confirmation that for Republicans law and order and justice are not things that they are capable of putting before their Party.
A confirmation that McConnell and House and Senate Republicans have for decades claimed that the principles of truth and justice necessitated their every action in investigating Democrats relentlessly, and yet they are always incapable of applying those same principles to themselves.
Because Republicans do not have principles.
Well one: win at any cost. That is the principle that the Republicans in the Senate, including McConnell all share. That is the only principle guiding the Republican Party’s management of the impeachment trial.
Nothing else matters to the Senate Republicans. Nothing.
These are the things the Democrats need to drive home.
It is not about McConnell, it is not about the rules, or the long hours.
It is about every Republican in the Senate knowing McConnell is lying and pretending that he is not. It is about every Republican there having already agreed to ground rules in advance understanding their true purpose: to assist in the cover-up. It is about every Republican in the Senate looking the other way because they believe that is the best course of action for retaining their political power.
Trump is not an aberration but the embodiment of the contempt Republicans have toward that or those who would constrain their power, contempt that extends to our very Constitution.
Our Founders understood the temptation if not likelihood of a President abusing his power. What they failed to envision was a Republican Party in sole control of the Senate not just acquiescing to such abuse, but working affirmatively to hide the truth and facts from the American people that they were sworn to represent.