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The Republican Party’s refusal to hold Donald Trump accountable for his treasonous Jan. 6th attempt to overthrow the American government highlights their purely partisan posturing even at a time of great national peril.
The corrupt GOP has just demonstrated their moral bankruptcy to honest fair-minded Americans with this predetermined verdict.
Are any of us really surprised? Didn’t Republicans tell us they wouldn’t convict Trump even before this “trial” started? Didn’t they do the same thing in last year’s first impeachment trial?
The supposed party of “law and order” has just proven they are anything but by allowing the person most responsible for the deaths of five people to walk away scot-free. How dare Republicans tell us they believe in the “rule of law” when they acquitted the person singularly guilty of causing the deaths of three police officers?
Republicans, once again, have chosen party politics over the good of the country.
How many people would’ve had to die on Jan. 6th for these Republicans to denounced and convict Trump? His acquittal is the best proof so far that all Republicans care about is the pursuit of political power, at whatever cost, even if lives are lost.
We should all be thankful that Jan. 6th only claimed the lives of five people. It is a minor miracle it wasn’t much worse. But what about the next time—a possibility made more likely after Saturday’s shameful ruling?
We now know the lives of many lawmakers were in mortal danger including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Mitt Romney, and even Vice-President Mike Pence, the most loyal defender of Trump.
Reportedly, Pence narrowly escaped Trump’s terrorists who were chanting “hang Mike Pence.” And what would’ve happened to Senator Romney if he hadn’t been redirected away from the mob by Capitol Hill Police Officer Eugene Goodman?
But none of this matters to Republicans, who know Trump is guilty, as much as the constant political positioning they are always engaging in. Because Trump is beloved by bigoted Republicans in the GOP base these lawmakers use every connivance to coverup their crooked calculations and protect Trump for their own political self-interests.
For the last four years, Trump has used the primary challenge as a threat against any Republican who dared disagree with him. But now—especially, after the Jan. 6th show of violence by Trump’s right-wing white supremacist terrorists—these Republicans are now also fearful for their very lives.
Many Republicans are now traumatized by the same virulently violent insurrectionists who came into the Capitol—since they are a part of their Republican voting constituency. Many are worried about being stalked and attacked by Trump supporters, who live in their home districts. The intimidation is now physical as well as political.
Only seven Republicans voted to convict Trump. Much is being made about the fact that this was the most votes by members of the opposition party in any presidential impeachment proceedings.
Why is this being discussed as a positive when Trump’s treasonous incitement to overthrow the government was far more serious, leading to the deaths of five people? If Republicans were as moral as they profess, Trump would’ve been convicted Saturday for the deaths and mayhem he caused at the Capitol.
This acquittal has already, as in the first impeachment trial, emboldened Trump.
In a victory statement, the architect of the Capitol Hill coup attempt said: “Our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement to Make America Great Again has only just begun. In the months ahead I have much to share with you.”
Many in the mainstream media have been calling this the second impeachment trial of Trump. Let’s be clear: what we witnessed this week was not a trial. It was a political farce. The Republican Party made sure it was.
Imagine the bizarre nature of this absurd argument by Republicans. The Republicans based their acquittal votes largely on a technical argument which is: because Trump isn’t in office now, he can’t be impeached—even for the criminal actions he engaged in while still president, including on Jan. 6th.
Does that reasoning make logical sense to anyone?
The reality is Republicans are complicit in the crimes of Trump and that’s why this flimsy excuse was used to absolve him of responsibility for his deadly actions. Republicans have blood on their hands as well.
Like Trump, they gave credence to the big lie that the election was stolen from Trump. Even after the assault on the Capitol, on the same day, many Republicans echoed Trump’s lies about the election. Trump was not the only Republican telling white America the election was stolen from them by Blacks, and “other” non-white people.
The Republican Party made it possible for Trump to be president. With their refusal to punish him for trying to undermine American Democracy, Republicans have left open the possibility that Trump can become president again.
That is unless Trump finally faces real accountability on criminal charges by authorities in Georgia, New York, D.C., or from the new Department of Justice.
