(RightWing.org) – Right before former President Donald Trump left office, House Democrats impeached him for a second time. They allege that he incited violence and the riots on Capitol Hill on January 6. However, former President Trump’s legal team isn’t going to let Democrats get away with their hypocrisy and intends to put several of them on trial.
February 9 is when the impeachment trial is scheduled to start in the US Senate. As that day approaches, numerous Constitutional questions are being asked. Chief among them, given the purpose of impeachment is to remove a sitting president from office, can a former president be tried?
Senate Trial Is a Sham
According to the United States Constitution, the Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) presides over the trial of a president. However, Chief Justice John Roberts declined. Though he did not make a statement, many assume it’s because Roberts doesn’t believe it’s a legitimate trial because Trump is no longer in office.
Sitting in his place will be Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT). Leahy is no arbiter of bipartisanship or fairness. Additionally, his appointment by Democrats is not in alignment with the US Constitution.
Democrats acknowledge the situation. They say the purpose of the trial is to ban Trump from running for office in the future. There is precedent involving the re-appointment of two federal judges, but not the disqualification from running for federal office. The Senate could vote on a simple majority to stop Trump’s future political aspirations if he desires to run for office again. However, if convicted, Trump could try his case in court and argue that he was denied due process.
Attorneys to Put Pelosi, and Waters on Trial
The odds of Trump being convicted by the Senate are slim. Regardless, the defense team will go hard after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA). Their alleged crimes: inciting violence.
Trump’s team says they will argue that freedom of speech is being turned into a crime and that if Trump is guilty, so are Democratic leaders. In 2018, Pelosi called those who supported Trump “enemies of the state.” She said she was surprised there weren’t more “uprisings all over the country.”
In 2018, Waters told Democratic supporters to harass Trump administration officials and Republicans. She stated, “Let’s make sure we show up wherever we have to show up. And if you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd. And you push back on them. And you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere.”
A few days later, a supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) shot at Republicans preparing for a yearly softball game. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) almost lost his life.
The case is already made that Trump used language similar to Democratic leaders in the past. In fact, Democrats challenged the Electoral College in 2016. Trump denies he incited anyone and never called for violence.
It appears that Democrats believe free speech is okay for them, but not Trump.
It will be interesting to see how the trial plays out with the public and if Trump’s attorneys make a compelling case of hypocrisy.
Don Purdum, Independent Political Analyst
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