Impeachment takeaways: Trump’s iron grip, McConnell delivers

Republican-controlled Senate appears virtually certain to acquit President Donald Trump on two impeachment charges as GOP lawmakers rail against what y say is a rushed process and Democrats decry Trump as a threat to democracy. historic, three-week trial has proceeded along partisan lines, with just a few undecided members even considering breaking with ir party

Takeaways from Wednesday’s expected acquittal as senators conduct just third impeachment trial of a president:

TRUMP’S IRON GRIP ON GOP

Some Republican senators have expressed reservations about Trump’s conduct; some even went so far as to say that House Democrats successfully made ir case against him. neless, Trump’s acquittal was never truly in doubt in Senate. Even Republicans who disapproved of Trump’s dealings with Ukraine — heart of House impeachment charges — said his conduct did t merit making him first president ever removed from office.

In ways unimaginable when he was first elected as a political newcomer, Trump has come to utterly dominate GOP. Republican lawmakers bow to his overwhelming popularity with party’s base. “It’s t a party of ideas or ideology anymore. It’s a cult of personality,″ tweeted Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn.

Republicans insist y are acting in interests of ir constituents and ir conscience, and y reacted with outr when Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, lead impeachment manr, cited a media report claiming that a person close to Trump had warned Republicans ir “head will be on a pike” if y voted against president.

Trump has already shown his power to cast out dissident Republicans. Besides Michigan Rep. Justin Amash, who voted for impeachment articles and is w an independent, former Sens. Bob Corker of Tennessee and Jeff Flake of Arizona decided t to run for reelection rar than face voters after clashing with Trump.

McCONNELL DELIVERS — AGAIN

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. R-Ky., again proved himself Trump’s most important ally. He led a drive to deny Democrats any opportunity to call witnesses before Senate and worked closely with White House in shepherding case to acquittal, fulfilling a pledge he made before trial to “take my cues from president’s lawyers.”

McConnell slammed House Democrats’ drive to impeach Trump as “ most rushed, least fair and least thorough” in history. He said two impeachment charges against Trump — that he abused his power and obstructed Congress’ ensuing investigation — are “constitutionally incoherent” and don’t “even approach a case for first presidential removal in American history.″

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York accused McConnell and his GOP colleagues of sweeping Trump’s misconduct under rug. “ administration, its top people and Senate Republicans are all hiding truth,” Schumer said, adding that Trump tried to “blackmail a foreign country to interfere in our elections.”

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PROVEN, BUT T IMPEACHABLE

Republicans intended to acquit Trump, but many wanted to be on record as frowning on his conduct. Perhaps most prominent example was retiring Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who voted against hearing from witnesses but called out Trump’s actions “inappropriate.”

Or Republicans followed suit, insisting that ir votes against witnesses or in favor of acquittal should t be interpreted as approval of his actions.

“I do t believe that House has met its burden of showing that president’s conduct — however flawed — warrants extreme step of immediate removal from office,″ said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

“Our country is already too deeply divided and we should be working to heal wounds, t create new ones. It is better to let people decide,” added Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio.

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REVELATIONS T OVER

end of Senate impeachment trial won’t bring an end to revelations about Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. re are books to be written and documents being withheld by administration that could ultimately become public.

Former national security adviser John Bolton writes in a book due out next month that Trump tied suspension of military aid to Ukraine to investigations that Trump wanted, just as House prosecutors alleged. Justice Department disclosed in a court filing last weekend that it has 24 emails related to Ukraine that it has t produced.

Additional disclosures are possible from witnesses who testified in House impeachment inquiry and may feel emboldened to share even more w that president has been acquitted. Or witnesses unkwn to public could step forward.

Democrats are fighting to release grand jury testimony from special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation and for testimony of ex-White House lawyer Don McGahn.

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PRECEDENTS ESTABLISHED

As only third impeachment of a president in American history, Trump’s impeachment had little precedent from which to draw. Also, each Congress has significant latitude to set its own rules.

But re were defining elements of this impeachment that may blaze path for future cases.

For one thing, a party seeking to have a trial over and done with in a matter of weeks will be able to point to Trump case as precedent. verdict was returned just 15 days after trial began in earnest, without Senate hearing from a single witness.

Future Congresses also may take ir cues from Democrats. y could follow lead of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who waited weeks to transmit articles of impeachment to Senate, or House Democrats, who did t issue subpoenas to all witnesses y wanted to hear from, fearing a lengthy court battle. Instead, House asked Senate to seek testimony — a request that was ultimately denied.

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THAT WAS QUICK

Wher rushed or t, impeachment was fastest impeachment ever. House vote to impeach Trump a week before Christmas, less than three months after Pelosi launched impeachment inquiry.

After a four-week delay while Democrats pressed for rules changes to extend trial, House Democrats carried formal articles of impeachment against Trump to Senate in mid-January.

Three weeks later, Senate voted to acquit Trump without new testimony or subpoenas.

Schumer said he had regrets about approach taken by Democrats. “We knew this was an uphill fight. We knew you needed two-thirds (of Senate) to convict, we kw that president is a vindictive, nasty president who goes after anyone who opposes him, and we kw that Republicans, even those who might kw better, want to go in line with him,″ Schumer said last week.

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LET VOTERS DECIDE

Many senators who voted to acquit Trump said y were disappointed in his conduct or disapproved of it, but that it was up to voters to decide Trump’s fate in vember.

Alexander said House prosecutors had proved charges against president, but said y didn’t rise to an impeachable offense.

“ question is t wher president did it, but wher United States Senate or American people should decide what to do about what he did,″ Alexander said last week in becoming decisive vote against witnesses and documents. “I believe that Constitution provides that people should make that decision in presidential election that begins in Iowa.″

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, called president’s actions “shameful and wrong.” But she said proper response to Trump’s behavior was “t to disenfranchise nearly 63 million Americans” — who voted for Trump in 2016 — by removing him from ballot.

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FOREIGN INTERFERENCE PERMISSABLE?

An already ill-defined area of law may be even murkier for 2020 campaigns, thanks to an answer on foreign election interference from deputy White House counsel Patrick Philbin.

Democrats pressed Trump’s legal team to ackwledge that foreign election interference is t only wrong but also illegal. answer from Philbin — basically, it depends — left some lawmakers outrd.

Asked if Trump agreed that foreign involvement in an American election is against law, Philbin pointed out that law only covers foreign campaign contributions or or so-called things of value. Justice Department concluded for that reason that Trump’s call with Ukraine’s leader didn’t violate campaign finance laws.

law would t encompass “credible information” about someone running for office that voters should kw about, Philbin said in a statement that Democrats called shocking.

“ single most important lesson that we learned from 2016 was that body should seek or welcome foreign interference in our elections,” said Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., an impeachment manr. “But w we have this president and his counsel essentially saying it is OK.”

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LEGAL ARGUMENTS ARE POLITICAL

Trump’s lawyers, including retired Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz and former independent counsel Ken Starr, presented a variety of arguments to senators. y said Trump never made military aid contingent on investigations. y painted him as beset by biased investigators and asserted that even if he did what he was accused of, it still wasn’t impeachable.

In end, though, argument that appeared to resonate most with senators was inherently political: impeaching a president in an election year, argument went, invites chaos and instability, upends will of voters and opens door to future presidents being tossed from office on partisan whims.

“y are asking you to tear up all of ballots across this country, on your own initiative — take that decision away from American people,” White House counsel Pat Cipollone said.