Trump trial pending; McConnell calls it 'vote of conscience'

Mitch McConnell, is telling senators their decision on whether to convict the outgoing president over the Capitol riot will be a “vote of conscience.”

Republican senators like McConnell, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and other congress members in the insurrection caucus have the collective conscience of a bucket of snakes. Some of them are under investigation for their roles, direct and indirect, in Trump's failed - and deadly - attempt to overthrow the government.

17 GoP senators will need to vote for convict. There are a few senators who will do so.

I don't have a sense one way or another on how it will go. If I think about what they say they stand for, they would vote to convict.

However, I don't see many GoP senators having a conscience.

On the other hand, they may want to show some spine by making a break from Trump and try to save the party from the "conspiracy constituency."

Mitch McConnell, is telling senators their decision on whether to convict the outgoing president over the Capitol riot will be a “vote of conscience.”

Um, Mitch, your party had plenty "votes of conscience" in the past and failed all of them.

For Republican senators, the trial will be a perhaps final test of their loyalty to the defeated president and his legions of supporters in their states back home. It will force a further re-evaluation of their relationship with Trump, who lost not only the White House but majority control of the Senate, as they recall their own experiences sheltering at the Capitol as a pro-Trump mob ransacked the building.

This Trump trial is not only a "vote of conscience" but also a vote of common sense."

For the latter, what is the point to be loyal to the person who has lost his own election after one term, destroyed the brand image of the GOP leading to shock defeats of both houses, and not less important, this person incited his cult members to attack the US Congress' holy temple.

Thinking strategically, would it not be better for the Dems to have the republicans infighting for the next 4 years by pitting the Trump loyalists against those who used him when his brand was favourable but want to dump him now that it's toxic and he has a losing electoral track record? McConnell and his gang would boot Trump in a minute if they though it wouldn't hurt their reelection chances. Oh, the cynicism. Isn't it time time for the 2nd coming of GWB and his kinder, gentler form of imperialism?

Ten Republicans joined all Democrats in the 232-197 vote, the most bipartisan modern presidential impeachment.

That only ten Republican US Reps voted to impeach a thoroughly lawless, treasonous president is inexcusable. There should have been at least a hundred. God help us.

Nancy Pelosi made it clear Friday that Democrats intend to move swiftly on Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID aid and economic recovery package to speed up vaccinations and send Americans relief.

See, multitasking. The hurdles to $2,000 will be gone next week.

What a great way for Biden to start his term; a unwinnable vindictive impeachment trial against the past president that the republicans will drag out for months and months and months. Good luck uniting the country Biden.

Conscience??!! Hahahahahaha..!!!!

Mitch McConnell, is telling senators their decision on whether to convict the outgoing president over the Capitol riot will be a “vote of conscience.”

McConnell and the other Republican ghouls should not be allowed to retroactively delete Trump and four years of enabling his mismanagement in order to push their aganda. As Reps. AOC and Bush have have stated, the whole slew of Republicans who backed his fictions until the end must face consequences including charges of sedition.

Upon getting power the Democrats would rather deal with a political foe than the economy or the raging pandemic. And, they wonder why half the country don't trust them.

I guess karma will follow and the other half will soon learn they've been scammed.

'vote of conscience?' If the republicans has a conscience they would not have elected Trump to start as it was so clear from 2015 what a immoral loser Trump is and will be till he leaves planet Earth. No this vote is about power, that is all the McConnell understands and cares about. If the republicans turn on Trump in enough numbers in the Senate it will be the bow on the box of Trump failures over the last four years and those of the republican party as well. Trump Jr, that incredible idiot, will run in 2024 if Dad cannot run himself. They would win the slave states just like Wallace did in 1968. That would assure a Democratic victory or the WH.

Anyway the long nightmare of the Trump Presidency is finally over. Once again liberals were right all along on how horrible the last four years would be, not due to partisian politics, due to the ability to see reality as it is. The Trump voters, as all can clearly see now, live in a make believe world where 74 is more that 81 and lies are regarded as truth.

Don’t forget 70 million voted for Trump. The Republicans don’t want to upset these voters. That will be “their conscience”. Nothing else.

Mr KiplingToday  08:49 am JST

Don’t forget 70 million voted for Trump. The Republicans don’t want to upset these voters. That will be “their conscience”. Nothing else.

They may be counting on at least a few million of those people deciding they're done with Trump.

The McConnell calculus is all and only about what benefits him, his power and position. I would bet he now believes it's time to cut the Trump tumor out of the GOP before it metastasizes into a mob of uncontrollable deplorables, driving middle class voters into the arms of right-wing Dems. Conviction in the Senate, a lifetime ban from public office and the disgrace of incarceration should do the trick. It must now be clear to McConnell that further association with the toxic Trump will only poison the well of two-party politics and so Trump must be prevented from becoming a future player in Mitch's minority party. Still, it may all be too late for the GOP : multi-ethnic America's boat is already weighing anchor leaving behind angry white supremacists shaking their fists and waving their flags on the shore.

McConnell and the apologists for bigotry should not even mention ‘conscience ‘ because they never had any.

They enabled trump , encouraged bigotry and undermined the rule of law.

All of these pathetic, soulless morons should face prosecution!!!

McConnell calls it 'vote of conscience'

I never realized the old prune was so funny. Politicians having a conscience. Thanks for the chuckle!

I am interested to see if this or anything ever reaches a senate vote, we know they have a stalemate in the Senate so if anything goes to a vote Democrats will automatically win (as long as their party holds the line) with VP Harris holding the deciding vote. but it takes more than 50% of the senate to take it to a vote(unless I am misinformed). And if the Republicans show the same solidarity as the Democrats did in the last four years then this term will be about the same as the last 4 nothing getting done unless it comes from an executive order but as with the Democrats you can expect each and every one of those to be called into question and go to a Supreme Court Judge of Republican choosing and be asked to declare it as unconstitutional.

I guess the only difference will be no unusual middle of the night tweets from that guy.

A vote of conscience? They’d have to have one....

However, Mitch is clearly showing the wavering members of his soon to be minority caucus that they have leave to vote to convict (I can’t understand why any Senator would need his permission).

I am cautiously optimistic that 16 of the 52 invertebrate Eunichs who would not convict last time will grow a spine and join Mitt to cast Trump into the ash heap of history

“vote of conscience”, underestimate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell at your peril, McConnell is a wily old political fox.

CS Lewis defined such platitudes…

“He who surrenders himself without reservation to the temporal claims of a nation, or a party, or a class is rendering to Caesar that which, of all things, most emphatically belongs to God, himself.”

Since when has any politician ever put conscience before their careers?

Look, Donald Trump should be put at the mercy of the structured US Court System.

Not a Senate trial, which in all likelihood could achieve little or nothing.

Donald Trump will use the whole process as an event a platform to further cause division.  So in effect continuing an agenda to smear the US election result.

As for Multitasking.

One of the main disadvantages of multitasking, to achieve different goals in less time, or the same time, (MT) promotes chronic distraction.

For housework one can accept the pitfalls,

In politics of government, (MT) policy leads to fundamental flaws in strategy and planning. And thus, a failure to maintain a flexible tactical plan of action.

Never proactive, always reactive.

“vote of conscience”, underestimate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell at your peril, McConnell is a wily old political fox.

I see a very transparent politician making calculated moves.

Nothing particularly cunning here.

I believe Trump absolutely must be impeached. He must be prevented from ever running for office again. And more importantly he must be stripped of every post-presidential benefit possible. The most dangerous may be post-presidential briefings which may include sensitive material that he would undoubtedly sell or trade to his foreign friends...like Vlad.

The Republicans must dissassociate themselves from Trump, if they have any intention of preserving the Republican Party, after this complete fiasco. Very few Republicans have shown that they posess a conscience during these 4 years so I wouldn't count on it. But we know they do want to preserve their own political careers and the party. That is more than ample reason enough to convict Trump.

As for all the Republican voters who are sane and rational and have supported Trump for the sake of the Party, now you all know what it's like to be a Muslim and get defined by the acts by the extremist Jihadists. I suspect that "Trump supporter" will be defined by the brainwashed insurrectionist terrorists.

As for the NRA, goodbye and good riddance. Hard to believe an organization that taught marksmanship in schools has become a political power devoted to protecting the right of illiterate trailer trash to own multiple militsary style semi-auto rifles with 30 round mags. And every State needs to rewrite heir gun laws. Even if posession of such firearms is legal, why is it not illegal to carry them to "Peaceful Demonstrations"?

In a way Trump has done the country a favor by exposing what a huge population of intellectually challenged, racist, and dangerous people live among us. Now we know what needs to be corrected.

Well it is calculated Jimizo, but also duplicitous.

As for transparency, as beauty, its in the eye of the beholder.

Subject Donald Trump through the US Court system.

Trump will be hobbled by a strict structured judicial process.

A Judge will not allow any political statement to undermine the proceedings. 

“vote of conscience”.....Trite and meaningless.

Politicians behaviors, are, and never will be subject to conscience.

Politicians will react in there own best future interests to remain in office. It is in there nature.

Surly you must have been paying attention over events these past four years?

itsonlyrocknrollToday  10:19 am JST

Look, Donald Trump should be put at the mercy of the structured US Court System.

That's what should have happened when he was impeached the first time. It's ridiculous to suppose that a partisan majority is ever going to reach a fair, impartial verdict based strictly on the facts and the evidence.

He has been, twice.

King of the impeachments. Most ever.

Hopefully it will end up being more than just symbolic.

What was so accurately predicted, by even Repubs themselves, is now occurring - the Republican party is self-imploding...

Remember Lindsey Graham said, in one of his saner moods, that; "If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed... and we will deserve it." Gee, where did that Lindsey go after that...to a hospital to get his spine removed I guess...

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maybe-lindsey-graham-s-anti-trump-prediction-was-right-after-n1253048

The Party of Reagan or the Party of the Coup Klutz Klan?

Well, we know which one Rand Paul votes for...

Senator Rand Paul (R., Ky.) warned Friday that one third of Republican voters could leave the party if GOP senators vote in impeachment proceedings to convict President Trump. 

https://news.yahoo.com/rand-paul-warns-one-third-175520035.html

Finding 17 Repub Senators with a conscience and a spine may be a bridge too far...

Simon Foston...finally a commenter who left home with there head on the right my up.

Trump will wreak havoc, rain unrelentingly on Biden/Harris inauguration.

Trump will cast aspersion.

listen you can hear Trump coming in the distance,

"save America, stop the steal, Joe, you’re fired. Get out of here",

“We want to go back, and we want to get this right because 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.”

You want this on a global platform broadcast on or around Biden/Harris inauguration.

Many posters are saying all politicians have morality challenges, that is wrong. There are some but just not in the Republican party any longer. Look to Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren for the best example of moral and strongly ethical politicians. Doubt this, look at their records each supporting you folks and not the money interests in politics. Recently it was Bernie who drove the $2000 figure for USA family support for example, no one else initially did that. Warrens record is amazing as well.

Hands up, I have met one too, zurcronium, Alan Johnson British Politician.

Guess, combined, that makes three.

itsonlyrocknrollToday  11:40 am JST

Trump will wreak havoc, rain unrelentingly on Biden/Harris inauguration.

Trump will cast aspersion.

I think everyone will ignore him, he has nothing to say that's worth listening to now that his election fraud fantasies have even been dismissed by Republican legislators and judges.

listen you can hear Trump coming in the distance,

"save America, stop the steal . ...

You want this on a global platform broadcast on or around Biden/Harris inauguration.

Trump will be doing that whether there's an impeachment trial or not, although I'm not sure who's going to give him a global platform.

I will be happier to see Donald Trump's undoing from the coming tsunami of tax, legal and financial woes than from a conviction from an impeachment that will no consequences for him.

As far as 70 million voters for Trump, well, there are over 90 million Americans with an IQ of 89 and under. Looking at the rioters, I would say the majority of those 70 million came from that 90 million.

They'll look for another Messiah. Their standards are not very high, so hopefully their next cult leader will be easy to defeat at the polls.

McConnell is a shrewd, calculating pol - and this may be his strategy..

Seeing how Trump essentially did nothing to help the two Repub Senators in Georgia, and really with his teaming with Pelosi on the $2K stimulus amount really undercut them, and lost McConnell his Majority Leader role - he's now "doing a Trump" on Trump...

Instead of whipping his Senators to fall in line voting down on impeachment, he'll let them decide themselves. From his perspective;

He's giving Trump a dose of his own medicine - "you didn't help me, I won't help you"...

He puts Trump under his thumb - "you act up with more stupidity that hurts the party and I'll tell all the Pubs to vote to impeach"...

He plays the middle with Trump's supporters and the Repub anti-Trump crowd...

One thing he can't spin though - his party is at war with each other...and he'll be the minority leader for at least the next two years...likely more...

Look, Donald Trump should be put at the mercy of the structured US Court System.

Well, it was designed so that the legislative branch does in order to maintain checks and balances because the executive branch appoints the top justices of the judicial branch.

As far as 70 million voters for Trump, well, there are over 90 million Americans with an IQ of 89 and under. Looking at the rioters, I would say the majority of those 70 million came from that 90 million.

Then you’d have to forgive them, including Trump, for they know not what they are doing.

Well, it was designed so that the legislative branch does in order to maintain checks and balances because the executive branch appoints the top justices of the judicial branch.

Sigh. I think you do not understand the process. The lower house basically files charges with the impeachment. The trial is held in the Senate but the Chief Justice is the judge of the proceeding just as in any other court. The Senators listen to evidence presented by members of the House, the "Impeachment Managers" who perform the function of the prosecution in a criminal trial. The person being impeached brings their own lawyers as defense counsel to argue their case. The jurors are the Senators. They listen to the testimony, ask questions through the Chief Justice, the judge of the trial, and are the jurors who vote to either convict or acquit.

Btw, "checks and balances are a misnomer". The correct term is the separation of powers. Each branch has powers not assigned to the other two branches with each serving as a check on the power of the others so no one branch becomes all powerful.

Mitch McConnell is basically passing the problem of conducting Mr. Trumps trial to Chuck Schumer. By the time the Senate reconvenes on 19 January the votes for Georgia's two new Senators should be certified allowing them to be seated. Once they are seated, Mitch McConnell passes his gavel to Chuck Schumer and joins the opposition bench. At that point it becomes Chuck Schumer and the Democratic caucus in the Senate calling the shots.