Rushed impeachment no good

President Donald Trump did a deeply reckless thing when he spoke before his supporters as they assembled on Wednesday. But I do not believe there is conclusive evidence that Trump intended the storming of the Capitol, or any sort of sedition.

His negligence in urging the crowd to fight on and to march on the Capitol and Rudolph Giuliani’s call for “trial by combat” added incendiaries to the demonstration, but Trump also said he expected the protesters to march “peacefully and patriotically.” My guess is that the movie in Trump’s mind had the Capitol surrounded by supporters shouting his name along with “Stop the steal!”

I don’t believe he intended deaths, which did occur. Or rioting within the Capitol halls.

My Washington Post colleague Michael Gerson has concluded that sedition by Trump is proven and impeachment and removal should follow so that justice can be served. There are many in his camp.

Proponents of a rushed impeachment during the nine days Trump has left in office are not interested in the fact that there would be no time for the president to present evidence of his contrary intent or any mitigating factors. He isn’t owed any due process, they say, because it’s a “political” process.

Mostly the high passions of politics do not concern the prosecutors of Trump. The views of his 74 million voters do not matter. That some large slice of them would be more outraged and estranged by a punitive mission based on cable talking heads “hot takes” concerns them not at all.

What ought to drive discussions at this moment is what’s best for the country now and hereafter. Precedents about impeachment are significant disturbances in the constitutional order. There isn’t time to even consider them seriously.