Should the Senate Have a Trial?

For John, BLUF:  We can't put the Trump Administration behind us if we don't put the Trump Administration behind us.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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RAND PAUL:  If Mitch McConnell Impeaches Trump, One Third Of Republicans Will Leave The Party

Here is the sub-headline:

"If you're going to ostracize and excommunicate President Trump from the party, then guess what, millions of his fans will leave as well."

From National File, by Reporter Tom Pappert, 17 January 2021.

Here is the lede plus three:

Speaking on Fox News’ Ingraham Angle on Friday, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul said he believes that if Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other Senate Republicans join the Democrats to impeach President Donald Trump, a third of Republican voters will permanently abandon the party as a result.

Speaking first about the Democrats’ aims for impeachment, Paul expressed incredulity.  “I don’t understand how they can be moving forward with this,” he said, before adding “The thing they’re doing now is an overreaction, and if they think they’re going to have a positive feeling from the public, when they’re going to go through a partisan impeachment again, I think that’s absolutely insane and wrong headed.”

Ingraham then asked Paul if he was surprised that McConnell is reportedly planning to instruct Republicans to vote to convict President Trump after he leaves the presidency, in a move that could strip him of his security and prevent him from running for office in 2024.

“I don’t often get asked my advice from leadership on how they should react, but my unsolicited suggestion would be this:  They will destroy the Republican Party if leadership is complicit in impeachment, or if leadership votes for impeachment, they will destroy the party.”

That seems pretty clear.  And i think it is pretty insightful.  Could it be that Senator Mitch McConnell is not a long game player?  A Senate trial, and especially a Senate Conviction, would have a major impact on the Republican Party and it could lead to President Trump forming his own party, which would attract millions of followers.

Perhaps SpeaKer Nancy "Ahab" Pelosi will spare the leader of the Republican Senatorial Caucus by not forwarding the article, being satisfied with having stained the President a second time with Impeachment.

Me neither.

However, on Thursday it will really be up to Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and the Vice President, Kamala Harris.  Which way will they lead?  To a trial or to reconciliation?

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff