Republicans blew their chance to hold Trump accountable | Letter to the editor

By the time Bradenton Herald readers see this letter to the editor, President Donald Trump will have been found not guilty of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress in the court of the U.S. Senate. “Not guilty” doesn’t mean innocent in any United States court – Trump is certainly is not innocent – and a verdict of “not guilty” handed down by a rigged, kangaroo court that included no witnesses, carries no merit.

But Trump will brag about his “exoneration” because he’s a spoiled child, incapable of hearing or speaking the truth. He’ll fire up his support base at the next propaganda rally, claiming for the hundredth time that his impeachment was a “hoax” promulgated by his enemies in the House of Representatives.

Republican senators should be ashamed of themselves for conducting a scam trial that was destined to result in a not guilty verdict before the first witness testified. Oh, I forgot; there were no witnesses, and in fact, no evidence other than what the House gathered in their impeachment investigation, which did include numerous, credible and forthright witnesses.

Several GOP senators admitted Trump did what he was charged with – how could they not in the face of overwhelming evidence – but his lawyers argued that those actions were not impeachable offenses. Just be prepared, you misguided Trump backers. He’ll be emboldened by a phony “not guilty” verdict and, if re-elected, Trump will escalate his unconstitutional attacks on your rights and he’ll forge more illegal coalitions with anti-American interests while destroying alliances with our long-time allies.

Just don’t come crying to those of us who have fought against Trump from the beginning. You had your chance and you blew it.

Robert Kushner

Bradenton

This story was originally published February 7, 2020 at 11:36 AM with the headline "Republicans blew their chance to hold Trump accountable | Letter to the editor."