Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) forced a Senate vote on his motion questioning the constitutionality of the Senate holding an impeachment trial against a private citizen. The motion was rejected, but with 45 of the 50 Republican members voting in favor of the motion, only the most fanatic out there are disputing Sen. Paul’s pronouncement when the vote was tallied, that this “shows that impeachment is dead on arrival.” The Democrats require 17 Republicans to vote for impeachment to succeed—and this wasn’t even close.
Not all the Republicans who voted for the motion are decided about the constitutionality of the trial; but the way the nation is careening into police-state revenge politics has shaken up their usual “going along to get along.”
Sen. Rand Paul (KY) motivated his motion, with pungency, on the floor of the Senate earlier in the day, by speaking to the principles at stake. The purpose of impeachment is to remove people from office. Donald Trump is now a private citizen, and the only purpose of this trial is “revenge” by Democrats.
Trump did not call for violence on Jan. 6, but for citizens to “peacefully and patriotically make your voice heard.” Is that a call for violence? What politician in the country has not used the word “fight” figuratively? Which Democrat can say that he or she has never said “take back” or “fight” for your country? Should we impeach Kamala Harris for offering to pay to get people arrested for rioting after George Lloyd’s death out of jail? No one proposed to impeach Maxine Waters when she called for people to surround any member of the Trump administration found at a restaurant, department store, or gas station. Of course not, Paul said.
