There are expectations that a vote to convict or acquit Donald John Trump will come as early as today. There are reports no witnesses will be called, although there are also reports that several people could give damning testimony about what Trump knew, when he knew it, and what he chose to do about it — IF they could be trusted to tell the truth.
UPDATE: Witnesses will be called, delaying a vote.
Regardless of what happens, the closing statements of both the House Managers and the Defense will be coming. What will they say?
We know the Defense has argued that the real violent instigators are the Democrats, that they have claimed Antifa led the mob, that Trump did not know and could not possibly know that the mob would resort to violence, that Trump never called for violence. We know they claim that the impeachment and the trial is a purely partisan witch hunt on the part of the Democrats. We know they refuse to answer if Trump knew Mike Pence was in deadly danger, and they refuse to answer who actually won the election.
We know that the BIG LIE is alive and well, and that’s all the Defense has to offer. We also know Republican members of the Senate have embraced it openly, even to the point where some of them have been working with the Defense despite their oath to serve as fair and impartial jurors.
We know that the case the House Managers have laid out is damning and overwhelming — and that it is still not enough to sway some among the Republican side of the Senate. That is why I, if I were a House Manager, would ask the Senate two questions. Here’s the first:
Are you willing to die for Donald John Trump?
IF you believe the Defense that the former president bears no responsibility for what happened on January 6, 2021, there are still some inconvenient facts.
- A mob was willing to gather and attack the Congress to stop what they believed was a stolen election. Troops still patrol the Capitol and the surrounding area because of the continuing threat of violence — and the rest of the country remains on alert.
- At some point Trump was aware of what was happening. He called for peace and for the mob to go home — but he also repeatedly told them he loved them, they were real patriots, and that they had a right to be angry because the election had been stolen.
- To this day Trump has refused to admit that he lost the election. He maintains — despite no evidence, despite repeated investigations that have found nothing — that the election was stolen. Whether or not he bears responsibility for the actions of the mob, he has refused to deprive them of their causus belli. He has promised them he is not going away, that it is not over.
- To this day Trump has shown no remorse, has admitted no awareness of the gravity of what happened.
- He failed to act as Commander in Chief or to uphold his Oath of Office whether or not you believe he was responsible for the actions of the mob.
IF you are willing to concede Trump bears some or all responsibility for what happened, but still refuse to vote to convict him on whatever grounds you think justify that choice, consider this:
- Trump considered all of you expendable, up to and including his own Vice President, regardless of which party you belong to — truly the only bipartisan action Trump has carried out as President.
- He unleashed a mob without regard for the consequences to any of you — or the people who work here on your staffs, the people who work in the building, the people who were ready to give their lives to defend you — and did.
- He did so without caring what happened to his own supporters, as long as they achieved his desire to overturn the election.
- He has never promised to do what he could to keep the mob from returning again, or that he will not summon them if he thinks it would serve him.
- He is actively seeking to punish those who do not support him now in this moment of judgement.
- Again, he has shown no remorse, or admitted the enormity of what he instigated.
Whether or not you believe the former President intentionally put all of your lives in danger, as well as danger to the very foundations of our government, the inescapable fact of the matter is that that danger was real and remains real as long as the possibility exists that he could once more assume the office of the President of the United States.
What is the terrible penalty we are considering imposing?
That he be charged and convicted with attempting a violent insurrection against the government he was sworn to protect — but there is no jail time to be faced, no threat of execution, no fines. He is simply to be found responsible in whole or in part for what happened.
Responsibility is the one thing he has never accepted in his life. It is overdue.
As a consequence, we require that he be barred from forever holding any future office in America. That is the very least we can do to a person who has demonstrated he is totally unfit to hold any public office, let alone the highest in the land.
He may continue to act as a private citizen without penalty. He may even remain active in politics to a degree — but he can no longer serve as the focus of efforts to install him in an office he has demonstrated he is unfit to hold.
Is that too much to ask? Is that a bridge too far?
If you do accept the evidence the House Managers have presented, if you do accept what your own experiences on that day showed you, how can you not vote to convict?
One more question:
Are you willing to risk your life to vote to convict Donald John Trump of High Crimes and Misdemeanors?
Whether or not you believe Trump is guilty of the charges that have been brought against him, you also know that a vote to convict him is done so under threat of violence. It is directly related to the first question.
Whether or not you believe Trump would threaten your lives directly, indirectly, or not at all, you know the threat is real.
Minority Leader McConnell has publicly stated that he considers this to be a vote of confidence, and not a partisan choice. We can chose to make it so.
(However, McConnell also has signaled he will not vote to convict, and voted against holding the trial on constitutional grounds.)
We have all sworn an oath to defend the constitution; the officer whose body lay in state in the Rotunda gave his life to do so. We are awarding the Congressional Medal of Honor to another whose actions, at risk to his own life, served to protect ours.
Can we fail in this duty in the face of such devotion? Can we ever look in the faces of those we ask to protect us, those who work for us, and those for whom we serve if we do not freely and fairly cast our votes on the basis of our conscience and considered judgement, and not merely along partisan lines or in fear of our lives?
For those reasons, to ensure that the verdict rendered on the High Crimes and Misdemeanors with which Donald John Trump has been charged can be done so without duress, I would so ask the Senate to proceed to the vote by secret ballot.
In this way, no Senator shall be forced to vote on the basis of concern for personal safety. They will be able to render a verdict known only to them and whatever God they believe in, fairly and honestly, without partisan fear or favor.
The only choice I would suggest is to decide whether those ballots be cast anonymously and destroyed after being tallied, or be recorded and held inviolate until such time in the future that passions over these matters have subsided to a degree of civility that currently seems unobtainable.
There is no precedent for this because these are unprecedented times and unprecedented charges. What we chose to do will establish precedents that will either guide and guard those who follow us, or demonstrate the consequences of failure. This moment is a great challenge, but it is also a great gift. We refuse it at peril to ourselves and this great nation.
The choice is yours.
UPDATE: The late move to call witnesses and subpoena documents comes in response to news of further damning evidence against the former president.
McCarthy’s reported screaming match with Trump over his refusal to send help during the attack, the possibility that when Trump tweeted Pence had failed to do the right thing, he thought the mob had Pence and was giving him what he deserved… This and who knows what else might be coming up. Could Trump be subpoenaed to testify — and does anyone believe he would tell the truth?
This derails both Democratic and Republican plans. Democrats want to advance a bold legislative agenda and confirm critical nominees; Republicans want to sweep all this under the rug and get busy with attacking Democrats over it and blocking the Biden administration. Nobody knows what happens next, how much longer the trial will go on, or where it will end up going.
There is a strong argument that as long as Trump remains a political issue, he will continue to spark chaos everywhere. That alone should be reason enough to be done with him for once and for all.
Saturday, Feb 13, 2021 · 6:12:58 PM +00:00
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xaxnar
Update: In the latest twist, Senators have allowed the
House Managers to enter into evidence a statement from
from Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) into the record in lieu of her actual testimony.
Herrera Beutler’s statement was what prompted the House managers’ call for witnesses in the first place.
Beutler states House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy had a phone call with Trump during the attack in which Trump sided with the mob and refused to call them off or send help. This establishes Trump knew what was happening and did nothing to stop it. Via TPM.
The trial will now proceed without calling witnesses.