Threat to American democracy

[struggle4progress]

By John Cassidy
February 1, 2020

.. McConnell .. was as good as his word. “I’m not an impartial juror,” he said in December ... “This is a political process. There’s not anything judicial about it.” At about the same time, McConnell explained his preparations for the trial to Fox News: “Everything I do during this I’m coördinating with the White House counsel,” he said ...

McConnell called Trump to finalize his plan for bringing the trial to an end on Wednesday, with a vote on acquittal. “They discussed the details and POTUS signed off, per source,” Phil Mattingly, of CNN, reported.

Think about that for a moment. The Republican Party is now so utterly cowed by Trump that it wasn’t enough for its representatives in the Senate — who swore an oath to administer “impartial justice” — to overlook the mountain of evidence against the President and to refuse to hear from witnesses who could offer firsthand testimony. The Senate Majority Leader also felt obliged to call the President and seek his approval for extending the trial ...

Having fired or prompted the resignations of the few independent voices he had around him, Trump now stands unchallenged within his own Administration. His Vice-President, Secretary of State, Treasury Secretary, and acting chief of staff are all toadies ...

https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/trumps-inevitable-acquittal-and-the-future-of-american-democracy