Impeach Trump

The first time Donald John Trump (they prefer maximum formality in these things) was quite rightly impeached by the House of Representatives, it was for his “perfect phone call” with the Ukrainian president as he tried to strongarm an ally into smearing Joe Biden. When Trump is quite rightly impeached by the House of Representatives today, it will be for his “totally appropriate” exhorting of a mob to storm the Capitol to stop the counting of Biden’s electoral vote victory. The man who tried pressuring Georgia officials to find the votes to overturn their results told a whipped-up crowd, including some who had been plotting “war,” “We’re going to have somebody in there that should not be in there, and our country will be destroyed. And we’re not going to stand for that.” And, “After this, we’re going to walk down, and I’ll be there with you.” And, “We’re going to have to fight much harder.” And, “you’ll never take back our country with weakness.” The attempt to undo the election failed, just as did the plot to dirty up Biden. But both high crimes succeeded in scarring the republic. A full recovery will take years. Unlike the first time around, today some honorable Republicans will join the Democrats. As for a Senate trial, that lays ahead. If Mitch McConnell really thinks Trump committed impeachable offenses, as his people are telling reporters, he must expedite it. And there’s another way to bar Trump from running again: The post-Civil War 14th Amendment says that no person who swore an oath “to support the Constitution of the United States” and “shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same” can hold public office. Trump took an oath on Jan. 20, 2017, check. Trump engaged in insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, check. Checkmate.