Senate Republicans just disqualified themselves

| 3:00 pm EST January 27, 2021
Dear Palmer Report readers, we all understand the difficult era we're heading into. Major media outlets are caving to Trump already. Even the internet itself and publishing platforms may be at risk. But Palmer Report is nonetheless going to lead the fight. We're funding our 2025 operating expenses now, so we can keep publishing no matter what happens. I'm asking you to contribute if you can, because the stakes are just so high. You can donate here.

Republican Senator Rand Paul forced a vote Tuesday on the constitutionality of impeaching a president after his term has ended. Forty-five Republicans voted “Yea” on the measure.

“If you voted that it was unconstitutional then how in the world would you ever hope to convict somebody for this? Forty-five of us, almost the entire caucus, 95% of the caucus, voted that the whole proceeding was unconstitutional,” he noted.

Paul raises an interesting point, but as usual, his conclusion is backwards. You see, he asked Senators to vote, not on whether the trial should occur, but on whether the trial was constitutional. Forty-five of his colleagues are now on the record stating their belief that it is not.

So I ask them this: if you voted that this entire proceeding is unconstitutional, then how in the world could you legitimize the proceedings by continuing to participate? You swore an oath to “support and defend the Constitution.”

The entirety of the constitutionality challenge rests on the thin reasoning that the trial is moot. But if the trial is moot, then the outcome of the trial is also moot. It should not matter one whit whether he is convicted, according to their logic.

No, the only proper course for these self-righteous hypocrites is to stand on their “principles” and abstain from this (clutches pearls and swoons) dreadfully unconstitutional proceeding. To do otherwise would legitimize the trial, and acknowledge that their earlier vote was not cast in good faith.

Once again, the Republicans would like us to believe they are defending some deeply-held conviction. They are not. If Rand Paul and his co-conspirators had any integrity whatsoever, the dotard would now be headed for a 55-0 loss in his upcoming impeachment trial. But we all know how much integrity we can expect to find on that side of the chamber.