Joe Conason: Will Republicans Risk a Rigged Trial?

[babylonsister]

https://www.creators.com/read/joe-conason/12/19/will-republicans-risk-a-rigged-trial?fbclid=IwAR1dNjKrcaV05z5s18UzVrTQQr8f8EkjWi_tGUldZOhle8g_UEeTmGRHoF4

Will Republicans Risk a Rigged Trial?
By Joe Conason
December 19, 2019 5 min read


When President Donald Trump's defenders aren't simply lying about the House impeachment inquiry — it all happened in a Capitol Hill basement with no Republicans present, as one of his lawyers told National Public Radio — they complain about the lack of firsthand witnesses to presidential abuse. They assume nobody will notice that Trump himself forbid any testimony by those with the most direct knowledge of his attempts to extort Ukraine.

For some reason, his defenders don't regard his silencing of potential witnesses as an admission of presidential guilt. Instead, they eagerly join him in presenting the nation with an insoluble dilemma: Impeachment can't be considered serious or fair without direct fact witnesses — and there can be no direct fact witnesses because the president has every right to squelch them.

In this way, the Republicans have abdicated their constitutional responsibility to oversee a president run amok. Their craven posture assures Trump that he can do whatever he wants, just as he has declared, while they exempt him from the rule of law.

Imitating the coarse example of their political boss, Republicans are increasingly brazen in expressing contempt for the Constitution. That document mandates a Senate trial following impeachment by the House, which doesn't mean a sham tribunal or an instant dismissal. Moreover, according to Article I, Section 3 of the Constitution and the Senate rules, every senator is mandated to "swear or affirm" an oath to do "impartial justice" in any impeachment proceeding.

snip//

It is still possible that Chief Justice John Roberts, who will preside over the impeachment trial as prescribed by the Constitution, will assert the Constitution's primacy over the partisan chicanery of the Senate Republican leaders? Roberts could insist that the Senate hold a real trial, with actual witnesses (including Rudy Giuliani, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, former national security adviser John Bolton and others who have direct knowledge of Trump's misconduct). And if he hopes to maintain his reputation as anything other than a right-wing stooge — and stand up against the constitutional vandalism of his fellow Republicans — that is what he must do. We may soon see what he is made of and whether he is up to this historic moment.

Rules and clauses aside, the great majority of Americans of all political persuasions understand fairness when they see it — and most of them still have enough sense to detect a political fix, too. Polls show that even Republicans agree overwhelmingly that impeachment requires an actual trial, with evidence and witnesses. If McConnell, Graham and the Republican Senate foist a rigged proceeding on the public, they will risk a furious rebuke next November.

[Raster]

1. Always assume the very worst from the GOP*...

...they have seldom failed to disappoint...

VOTE. EVERY. REPUBLICAN. OUT. OF. OFFICE.
None are worthy of re-election. All are part of the problem.
NOTHING will get better in this country until the GOP* is GONE.
#VoteEveryRepublicanOutOfOffice #TrumpIsANationalSecurityThreat
#TheGOPIsAThreatToOurCountry #Resist

[Efilroft Sul]

2. Does the scorpion sting the frog?

[onecaliberal]

3. The (R)ussia party is all in now.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

4. Russiapublicans are counting on their propaganda machine and their Putin

[ProudMNDemocrat]

5. Once again supporting the Articles of Impeachment.......

By abusing power and obstruction of Congress with the entire Republican caucuses complicit.

[Faux pas]

6. For sure!

Because they are above the law too.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

7. "Risk" a rigged trial? No, they'll be absolutely giddy in bragging ...

... about how Mitch and Donald rigged the trial.

[crickets]

8. K&R for visibility