Despite Republican claims to be strict “constructionists,” they sure do ignore the Constitution a lot, and that’s why retired Judge Nancy Gertner ripped their hypocrisy on Monday night as the GOP continues their effort to rig the Senate impeachment trial in favor of President Donald Trump.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is holding back on sending the two articles of impeachment to the Senate until Republicans agree to a fair trial featuring witness testimony instead of the rigged trial they have been publicly planning.
The GOP plan to rig the impeachment trial is purely hypocritical considering these same Republicans also describe themselves as constitutional “constructionists” who believe in interpreting the document based on what the Framers intended.
And while the Constitution does not specifically say that a Senate impeachment trial should include witnesses, former United States District Judge Nancy Gertner told MSNBC that the Framers absolutely intended for trials to feature witness testimony.
“Well, there is no clear guide,” Gertner began. “But you know something, the Constitution doesn’t say many things specifically. But when it talks about the Senate, it says the case shall be tried in the Senate. And the senators have to take an oath that is independent of their oath as senators.”
Indeed, it’s an oath of impartiality, which Republicans will be violating the moment they recite it because they have already made it clear that they are incapable of being impartial.
“‘Trial’ had a specific meaning in the 18th century,” Gertner continued. “It meant witnesses. It meant an impartial jury. These were not things that were, you know, set aside comments. If you are a strict constructionist, as many of the Republicans purport to be, you would understand that trial meant witnesses, cross-examination, and oath meant an oath of impartiality as a juror would take.”
She then pointed out that former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s agreement to testify if subpoenaed by the Senate may force the issue, and his testimony could be damning to Trump since he is a key player in Trump’s Ukraine bribery scandal.
“Bolton’s coming forward makes it clear that, you know, that maybe opens, at least raises the possibility there will be other witnesses who will come forward,” she concluded. “I don’t think there really is justification here for not holding witnesses, not having witnesses.”
Here’s the video via YouTube:
If Republicans have any respect for the Constitution or the Senate or the rule of law, they will do their duty by holding a real trial. And after hearing all the damning evidence and witness testimony, they will have no choice but to convict and remove Trump from office. If they refuse, they will forever disgrace themselves and their party for all time.
Featured Image: YouTube screenshot
