February 2020
Dark mornings and short days in Washington are interrupted by a week of uncharacteristically warm weather, probably a result of the Constitution being burned in the basements of the Senate building. Donald Trump is set to be acquitted by the United States Senate, something that everyone knew was going to occur. With all sycophant GOP Senators afraid of having their head on a pick from the White House, the question was less about guilt and more about whether a legitimate trial would occur. It did not.
For the first time in history, no witnesses were questioned and no new evidence was gathered. Moscow Mitch fawned over his latest raping of Senate rules and procedures. Chief Justice John Roberts robotically read from a script, never offering an opinion of substance or encouraging actual deliberation – cementing his performance as a disgrace to the legal profession. The week feels like a 7-day funeral for the Constitution with Moscow Mitch chopping off the Senate’s own arm in the process.
Wednesday
A blessed shine of light comes from Utah to offer its condolences…. Mitt Romney, GOP Senator, is a fleeting semblance of hope for the week. In a gut-wrenching speech on the Senate floor, Romney votes to remove Trump from office. He provides a compelling and emotional explanation that historians will look back on as a dark time in United States history.
“Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one’s oath of office that I can imagine,” said Romney. “With my vote, I will tell my children and their children that I did my duty to the best of my ability, believing that my country expected it of me. I will only be one name among many, no more, no less, to future generations of Americans who look at the record of this trial. They will note merely that I was among the senators who determined that what the president did was wrong, grievously wrong.”
Disagree with his politics, Romney chose the country and God over his party, and on this sad event brought tears to the eyes of many Americans. It would have been Democratic victory enough that no Democrats voted to acquit (Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Doug Jones of Alabama were very possible), but having a GOP turn is important for the country. Even with the death and destruction of institutions under President Trump, his impeachment marks the first time a Senator voted to remove a President of his own party. This data point is as good as any to show that this was far from a Democrat-orchestrated hoax, something the President will be ridiculed for saying.
Thursday
The buffoon attends the National Prayer Breakfast holding up newspaper headlines stating “Trump Acquitted” as if it were a celebration. As he did with Tuesday’s State of the Union, he turns a traditionally non-political event into a political one. He mocks House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (in attendance) and Senator Romney for using their faith to inform their decisions and pray for others. He takes time to personally recognize each co-conspirator on his team, sometimes the recognition turns into jarring quips or roasts. Steve Scalise, a congressman who was shot a few years earlier at a Congressional baseball game in Alexandria, he says was prettier after his injury. He takes credit for a governor’s election victory because of his endorsement. The most awkward of his attempts at playful comments was a joke about wives. When Scalise got shot, his wife “cried her eyes out” at the hospital and Trump joked that “not many wives would react that way … I know mine wouldn’t.”
Friday
In fallout after his Senate acquittal, Trump purges Lt. Colonel Alexander Vindman and EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland from the White House. Vindman sat on the National Security Council and attended phone calls of Trump and Zelensky. His Congressional testimony revealed that Trump and Pence’s aides were not only concerned about Trump’s behavior with Ukraine, but actively worked to contain him. Security escorted the purple heart recipient and Iraq war veteran out of the White House in an effort to shame him.
Ambassador Sondland was a Trump loyalist who got caught in a lie in his overzealous responses to house impeachment officials. He had to formally re-enter his testimony because of those lies and gave impish testimony before Congress that incriminated Trump. In Trump’s eyes, the hotelier and million dollar donor violated his trust. In his skittish attempts to thread a needle and not incriminate himself before Congress, Sondland hit the trifecta of appearing disloyal, unreliable and aloof. Over twitter, he accepts his removal and thanks the President.
Both men are removed. One an appointee. The other an employee. The week is laid to rest. America looks forward to the weekend to cleanse us of this acrid Trump stench of failure and disgrace.
The Last Democrat 