Senator Mitch McConnell is still doing damage control after his vote to acquit Donald Trump, while acknowledging that the former president was “responsible for provoking the events” of January 6th. Now, in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, the Senate minority leader writes:
There is no question former President Trump bears moral responsibility. His supporters stormed the Capitol because of the unhinged falsehoods he shouted into the world’s largest megaphone. His behavior during and after the chaos was also unconscionable, from attacking Vice President Mike Pence during the riot to praising the criminals after it ended.
He goes on to say the reason he didn’t convict was due to his interpretation of the Constitution:
Our job wasn’t to find some way, any way, to inflict a punishment. The Senate’s first and foundational duty was to protect the Constitution.
McConnell says in his opinion you can’t impeach a former office holder, “The text is unclear… I concluded that Article II, Section 4 limits impeachment and conviction to current officers.”
The nation needs real constitutional champions, not fair-weather institutionalists. The Senate’s duty last week was clear. It wasn’t to guarantee a specific punishment at any cost. Our job was to defend the Constitution and respect its limits. That is what our acquittal delivered
McConnell’s logic has a big flaw in it. He was the one who delayed the trial while Trump was still in office. If he thought only a sitting president should could be convicted, he should have instead rushed to conduct the trial before the 45th president left office.
*This post contains opinion.
