Toomey’s conscience after politics

In the Feb. 18 editorial “A Vote of Conscience,” the editorial board attributes Sen. Pat Toomey’s vote to impeach former President Donald Trump as an act to be lauded — an interesting perspective. Didn’t Mr. Toomey take an oath to uphold the Constitution when he was sworn in as a senator? And doesn’t the Constitution say in Article 1, Section 3, “When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside.” The section goes on to further state, “Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from office.”

Since the chief justice would not preside and Mr. Trump was no longer in office, the second impeachment of Donald Trump was clearly unconstitutional. If Mr. Toomey were truly voting his conscience, he would have honored his oath to uphold the Constitution, and voted “No.”

Perhaps Mr. Toomey is looking ahead to a new career, one in the private sector. It’s no secret that corporate and tech companies have made it clear disavowing Donald Trump is the only way to be considered for a lucrative job. Let’s revisit Mr. Toomey’s conscience when we find out his post-political plans.

GEORGIA ATKIN O’Hara