Trump impeachment

A much expected acquittal of US President from the Senate

The US Senate’s acquittal of President Donald Trump was widely expected. Think about it. A president accused of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, with strong evidence to back up the charges, has been allowed to walk without witnesses even being allowed to speak at the trial. What does that say about a country that claims to be a bastion of democracy and justice? A conviction would have required 67 votes. While all 47 Democratic senators voted guilty, only one Republican joined them. The other 52 Republicans apparently see nothing wrong with a president using his office for personal political gain and failing to adhere by the checks and balances set up in the Constitution.

Trump once claimed that he could shoot a man in the middle of New York City’s bustling Fifth Avenue and get away with it. Today we learnt how. He would have rigged the trial, just as his allies did today. Opinion polls suggested that a majority of Americans agreed on Trump’s guilt. But the jurors, in this case, were not Americans appalled by the corruption of their president. They were senators, over half of whom have tied their political careers to Trump. They did not do this for Trump. They did this for themselves. As long as they are reelected, they couldn’t care less about what becomes of American democracy.

In fact, given the anti-democratic actions of Republican senators, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, it can reasonably be claimed that the Republicans aren’t interested in democracy. These actions include making it harder for Americans, especially people assumed to favour Democrats, to vote. Before and during the trial, it was McConnell who flatly said he didn’t care about the evidence and would not allow witnesses, and no one batted an eye. This is the new normal. But why not? For four years now, McConnell’s wife, a Trump cabinet member, has sent a disproportionate amount of money to his state. He was not a pawn, but a willing participant in the Trump kleptocracy.

Given this sorry state of affairs, it is high time for the US to invade itself to install democracy.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 7^th, 2020.

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