Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has aligned himself so closely to President Donald Trump in opposition to impeachment that Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) is calling for him to recuse himself from the trial based on remarks he made during an interview on Fox News.
The House Judiciary Committee voted on and passed two articles of impeachment against Trump on Friday morning. The articles will now be voted on by the full House and are expected to pass.
At that point, the process would then shift to the Senate, where Senate Republicans have already made it clear that they have no intention of taking the charges against Trump seriously and will acquit him regardless of the damning evidence and witness testimony proving that Trump attempted to bribe Ukraine into digging up dirt on his political rivals and obstructing Congress.
In fact, McConnell openly admitted on Thursday night during an interview with Sean Hannity that the fix is in because he is coordinating with Trump on how his trial will play out. McConnell said:
“We’ll be working through this process, hopefully in a fairly short period of time, in total coordination with the White House Counsel’s Office and the people representing the President in the well of the Senate. We all know how it’s going to end. There is no chance the president is going to be removed from office.”
Such an admission means that McConnell has no intention of performing his constitutional duty to be impartial. He’s in the tank for Trump and is abandoning separation of powers and checks and balances for political gain.
And that’s why Demings released a statement calling for McConnell to step aside. Demings said:
“The President has abused his power and obstructed Congress’ ability to hold him accountable for his actions. His use of military assistance to pressure another country to interfere in our election put our national security and our democracy at risk. The Constitution requires that after articles of impeachment pass the House of Representatives, the president must be given a fair trial in the Senate. …
Senator McConnell has promised to sabotage that trial and he must recuse himself. No court in the country would allow a member of the jury to also serve as the accused’s defense attorney. The moment Senator McConnell takes the oath of impartiality required by the Constitution, he will be in violation of that oath. He has effectively promised to let President Trump manage his own impeachment trial. The Senator must withdraw.”
Demings then pointed out that senators take an oath prior to the trial vowing to be impartial, an oath McConnell already violated before even reciting it.
“The United States Constitution, Article 1, Section 3, says, ‘The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation.’ she wrote. ‘The Senate Rules provide the oath to be sworn by each Senator: “I solemnly swear (or affirm) that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of President Donald John Trump, now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws: So help me God.”‘”
So, McConnell must recuse himself, and any Republican senator who can’t comply with the oath should do the same because there is no way they can look at all the evidence and testimony impartially without concluding Trump is guilty and removing him from office. Rigging the trial in Trump’s favor is the only way he survives, and that’s absolutely unacceptable and unconstitutional.
Featured Image: YouTube screenshot.
