Before anyone knew that House Democrats would royally screw up their impeachment effort, it seemed like a good idea for Senate Republicans to ready themselves for a trial that would allow them to bring in witnesses such as Joe Biden, his son Hunter, and the “whistleblower.” Getting them to talk would help clear up the other half of the story that Democrats refused to tell in the House.
But now there’s absolutely no reason for any of that. Why buy Democrats any more time to pretend that they have something worthy of removing President Trump from office before the next election?
Democrats say they’re frustrated that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, has set the trial rules to ensure that there will effectively be no further evidence submitted or witnesses to testify. The maneuver is intended to starve Democrats of further opportunity to make their impeachment catch fire with a public that, after four months, remains pretty evenly divided on the issue.
We’re going to hear the case that House Democrats put together in their rush to move this to trial, the White House will offer its defense, and then the senators will vote.
If Republicans learned anything from the Brett Kavanaugh hearings and the Robert Mueller investigation, it will be that Republicans can never be counted on to not trip over themselves one foot from the end zone, but it shouldn’t be hard not to recreate those episodes.
Democrats wanted an investigation into the Russia collusion ghost and Republicans gave it to them, setting up a special counsel with unlimited authority and funding. We were treated to two years of hyperventilating news coverage about all the links connecting Trump and the election to Russia, only for Mueller’s office to conclude that no such links existed.
Democrats wanted an investigation into the accusations that Kavanaugh attempted to rape a woman more than 30 years ago, and Republicans delayed votes on his Supreme Court confirmation a total of three times, and even authorized one more FBI investigation. We were treated to more ridiculous accusations — Kavanaugh got drunk in high school! — and more of Michael Avenatti’s shiny head on cable news.
It would help the public to hear testimony from the Bidens about still unanswered questions regarding Ukraine, Hunter’s unexplained and lucrative role at Burisma, and the extent that Democrats coordinated with the career government employee “whistleblower” whose complaint started the impeachment movement du jour. But House Republicans did a fine enough job with all of that, and further delay would only mean more time for Democrats to manufacture more scandals.
Democrats say they want a “fair” trial in the Senate with further evidence and witnesses, which is nothing more than code for “more delays to torture the White House.”
Republicans would be falling for the same trick if they agree to it.
