Senate Republicans: Vote to Convict
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U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) (2nd L) speaks as (L-R) Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Sen. John Thune (R-SD), and Senate Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) listen during a news briefing after the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon at the Capitol on Sept. 19, 2017 in Washington, DC. (Alex Wong | Getty Images)
For four long years, Donald Trump twisted and corrupted America’s very essence to serve himself. Children were separated from their parents at our border and thrown in cages, a deplorable human rights violation. Trump attempted to ban Muslims from our country, all but spitting on the ideal of religious freedom our nation holds dear. The Justice Department, a nonpartisan law enforcement agency, was converted into a personal law firm dedicated to defending the president. Trump insulted our closest allies and cozied up to dictators, setting our foreign policy back decades.
Despicably, Republicans gave all of these things a pass or even supported his efforts. In 2020, Senate Republicans were given a chance to remove a terrible president from office. They failed to do so. Trump was first impeached for withholding aid to a foreign government until they dug up dirt on political rival and now President Joe Biden. This action hindered the Ukrainian government’s fight against Russian incursions into their territory, which Trump evidently did not care about, and was, of course, a traitorous impeachable offense. Only one Republican, Mitt Romney, was brave and patriotic enough to vote to convict. The rest were willing to keep Trump in power for control of the executive, continued judicial nominees, and perceived political benefit or perhaps fear of political retribution.
Trump has been impeached again and is now the only president to be impeached twice. This time, Republicans are demonstrating more interest in convicting. Sen. Mitch McConnell, who all but killed the first impeachment before a trial could even begin, has signaled he is willing to convict. What changed? What is different today? We all know the answer.
On Jan. 6, 2021, our capitol was assaulted by Trump’s supporters. Our most sacred values of democracy and a peaceful transition of power were desecrated. Trump by most accounts cheered them on. Hours before the failed insurrection, he whipped them into a fury at a speech telling them, “You’ll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong … I know everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building.” A prosecutor could not ask for better evidence that Donald Trump incited an insurrection.
Both in the days leading up to and immediately after the attack, Trump and his administration hindered the deployment of the national guard, even though our intelligence agencies were aware of the threats that his supporters presented. Adding insult to injury is the horrible double standard from June when peaceful Black Lives Matter protestors were teargassed and assaulted so that Trump could take a photo in front of a church.
Trump is a failed insurrectionist. The nickname Benedict Donald is so applicable, its humor is no longer amusing. He is unhinged and dangerous. By some reports, he is threatening Republicans that vote to convict with political challenges, even going so far as to split the Republican Party in two by forming his own “Patriot Party.”
Senate Republicans: stop bending the knee to an out-of-power attempted dictator who will not show loyalty to you even if you vote against his conviction. Ask Mike Pence what fealty to Trump gets you. Do not be threatened by a horrible president who represented the very worst America has to offer.
Together, Democrats and Republicans, Americans, can hold an insurrectionist who tried to fracture our nation accountable. We can disqualify him from holding federal political office again. His conviction will simultaneously punish a guilty man and demonstrate to future insurrectionists and would-be dictators that America will never succumb to their will. Let freedom and democracy prevail over authoritarianism. Let us fully punish the man who attempted to end the great American experiment and disillusion those that would try to damage it in the future
Senate Republicans: vote to convict.
