So-called “moderate” Republicans agreed to support Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) rigged impeachment trial on Tuesday, including Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), who had a particularly petty reason for bowing down to President Donald Trump.

After the House officially passed two articles of impeachment against Trump last month, McConnell publicly proclaimed his intention to rig the trial in Trump’s favor. No witnesses would be called to testify and Republicans would move to acquit as soon as possible so their propaganda machine can swiftly declare that Trump is innocent of all the charges.

But some Republicans such as Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Collins appeared to oppose disgracing the institution in that way.

Clearly, however, all three were just putting on an act, merely pretending that they aren’t in the tank for Trump.

And the reason why we know that is because all three agreed to get on their knees for Trump and McConnell by agreeing to a rigged trial.

Romney and Murkowski apparently did not need much convincing. Collins, meanwhile, based her support on a very petty reason.

Collins outright blamed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and said she supported McConnell’s sham impeachment trial because Schumer is raising money for her opponent to unseat her in November.

“I don’t think Chuck Schumer is very interested in my opinion since he’s just launched a website in Maine and just committed an additional $700,000 in additional negative advertising from the Majority Forward PAC,” Collins whined in a statement to Politico. “I don’t think he’s really very interested in doing anything but trying to defeat me by telling lies to the people of Maine. And you can quote me on that.”

So, Collins is refusing to do her duty in the Senate and has betrayed the rule of law and the Constitution all because Democratic leadership is not helping her win re-election? That’s seriously f*cked up and it’s just another reason why Collins should be ousted from office.

All three will have another chance to do the right thing, this time publicly when they are asked to vote on whether to call witnesses to testify or not.

“Make no mistake: On the question of witnesses and documents, Republicans may run, but they can’t hide,” Schumer said. “There will be votes at the beginning [of the trial] on whether to call the four witnesses we’ve proposed and subpoena the documents we’ve identified. America, and the eyes of history, will be watching what my Republican colleagues do.”

Collins, Murkowski and Romney have one more chance to grow a spine and reject McConnell’s farce of a trial. If they fail to do so, all of them will have a legacy of cowardice in the face of tyranny.

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