Analysis: Republicans acquitted Trump again, but this time is different
But Trump will also be known in history as a notorious figure who, after a trial, refrained from blaming it on a technicality that proved that he had scored scores of his own vice presidents, lawmakers and police officers in both parties Jeopardized, as he overturned the election results. .
And unlike the trial of Trump’s first impeachment, when he could claim he had passed away, some GOP senators rushed to defend him on Saturday. Apparently still fearing electoral consequences if they surpass the former president, many pinned their votes on the weak procedural argument that they did not have the rights to plead guilty under the Constitution because Trump had already held office. Have left (The majority of constitutional scholars disagreed with that premise and the Senate had already voted in the week that the test was constitutional).
Sen. John John, the No. 2 Senate Republican, told CNN’s Ted Barrett that he voted to acquit Trump because it was a “judicial issue” and called it “an uncomfortable vote.”
“I don’t think the South Dakota Republican said that was a good result for anyone.”
“Each of us has a duty and responsibility as Americans, and especially as leaders, to defend the truth and defeat the lies,” Biden said. “That we end this rude war and heal the soul of our nation.”
The former South Carolina governor said, “He left a path he shouldn’t have, and we shouldn’t have followed him, and we shouldn’t have listened to him. That interview.”
“The president didn’t act fast. He didn’t do his job,” McConnell said. “Even after it became clear to any reasonable observer that Vice President (Mike) Pence was in grave danger, the crowd carrying the Trump banner was beating the police and breaking the perimeter Thi … the president sent another tweet attacking his own president. ”
Another potential contender for the GOP nomination in 2024, has remained fairly silent since underwriting – choosing not to criticize Trump openly, but also to not offer Trump political cover as it became clear that Trump had made his vice president Jeopardized The day was one of the issues that weighed most on GOP senators during the trial.
Republicans prepare for political results
Some GOP lawmakers had entertained the notion that Congress could stop Trump, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Saturday rejected the course of action that would “shut down” the “cowardly” senators as avenue .
“These cowardly senators who could not face the President and what was at stake for our country, now is a chance to give (Trump) a slap on the wrist?” Pelosi said that when asked about the censors during a press conference with impeachment managers after the vote. “We stop people for using stationery for the wrong purpose. We do not incite people to a rebellion that kills people in the Capitol.”
Although Trump may not face any punishment in the halls of Congress, some of the GOP senators who voted to convict him are already facing homecoming – as do GOP members of the House Had him to vote – particularly at the level of the local Republican Party where Trump loyalists still rule.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, who was surprised by his vote that the trial was constitutional in the first week, was immediately approved by the Louisiana GOP on Saturday for his confidence vote. But the GOP senator, who only won the election in November and will not face voters for another six years, He explained in his statement why he was in favor of being acquitted: “Our Constitution and our country are more important than any one person. I voted to indict President Trump because he is guilty,” he said.
The most surprising vote for impeachment came from Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, who announced long ago that he was not seeking a reunion in 2022. Among others convicted were Pat Tommy of Pennsylvania, who is not running for either. , Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
Of the seven, only Murkowski is set to reunite next year. The GOP senator, who has already defeated the primary defeat and does not discourage the leadership of the GOP CNN’s Ryan Nobles said on Saturday that he understood the possible results of the vote to convict the former president.
“It’s not about me and my life, my job,” Murkowski said. “This is really what we stand for. And if I can’t say what I believe our president should stand for, why should I ask the Alaskans?”
With the final result, Sasse said he was concerned that the Congress “is a weaker institution than the founder, and it is still likely to be small.”
“Many Republicans already talk to the ultra-aggressive executive branch about restoring congressional power,” Sasse said in his statement.
“If Congress cannot force itself to respond to a scathing attack on Article I provoked by the head of Article II, then our constitutional balance will be permanently tilted. A weak and timid Congress is rapidly becoming one of a limited and empowered nation. “It is unacceptable. This institution is needed.” The executive must be respectful enough to state that some lines cannot be crossed. “
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