Senate Majority Leader McConnell is pleased about Democrats moving to impeach Trump according to the NY Times reporting. Keep in mind that not a single Republican voted in favor of impeachment during the 2019 proceedings.
Now, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), the No. 3 Republican in the House, brings Trump another step closer to a conviction by the Senate for “Incitement of Insurrection” by stating that she would vote for Trump’s impeachment.
Rep. Cheney’s remarks give cover to perhaps as many as two dozen Republicans who might vote to impeach Trump: “Never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States.… The president of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the president”.
Rep. Cheney’s comments come on the heels of House Minority Leader McCarthy’s (R-CA 23) statement that House Republican leaders will not lobby against Trump’s impeachment, according to Republican sources.
The practical implication of the McConnell, Cheney, and McClatchy statements is that, beyond the pending vote in the House to impeach him, Donald Trump cannot dodge a conviction in the Senate—even after his presidency ends on Jan. 20.
A New Twist — What could happen in the Senate
The Senate is in recess until Jan. 19, conducting only pro forma sessions. So Senate action onTrump’s impeachment falls to the incoming Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY), who is now reported to be “exploring using an obscure, post-Sept. 11-era authority to reconvene the Senate as the House barrels toward a likely impeachment vote of President Trump.” This would allow Trump’s Senate impeachment trial to begin immediately after the House transmits the impeachment articles (possibly as early as Thursday).
The success of this strategy depends on Senate Leaders McConnell and Schumer reaching an agreement to reconvene the Senate. This has become a real possibility given McConnell’s statement that he believes Trump committed impeachable offenses and that he approves of the House moving forward with the Constitution’s most severe punishment.
It is worth noting that, during Trump’s first impeachment trial in the Senate, McConnell was steadfast in his defense of Trump. This is a different time, and McConnell’s recent statements show that McConnell now believes Trump should be removed from the Republican party.
Last Wednesday’s Trump-incited attack was a terrifying, heartbreaking spectacle. The first impeachment process was difficult for Republicans to act on. This second impeachment represents an entirely different set of circumstances. Republicans need to work to survive this time.