Trump Impeachment and the Legend of Mitt Romney

“Trump’s Last Year in Office: Two Impeachments and 400,000 Funerals ” © Tom Ersin 2022. This is the current installment from the serialized publication of this distinctive historical book.

THIS WEEK’S HEADLINES (skip to article)

• “IMPEACHMENT TRIAL, DAY 9: 2nd 8-Hr. Day of Senate Questions to Defense, Prosecution” (1/30/2020)
• “New Bolton Revelations: Trump Told Bolton to Call Ukraine Pres. to Have Him Meet w/ Giuliani, 2 Mos. Before Ukraine Call; Cipollone, Mulvaney, Perry Were in Room; Bolton Never Made Call” (1/31/2020)
• “New Lev Parnas Revelations: Everyone Knew of Trump’s Extortion Plan, Including VP Pence, Energy Secy. Perry, State Secy. Pompeo, AG Barr, Sen. Graham, Rep. Nunes, Rudy Giuliani” (1/31/2020)
• “IMPEACHMENT TRIAL, DAY 10: Senate Votes 51-49 to Block all Witnesses, Documents; U.S., World in Shock; Mitt Romney, Susan Collins Only Republicans to Vote to Hear Evidence” (1/31/2020)
• “Britain Officially Leaves European Union” (1/31/2020)
• “Fmr. Amb. to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch Retires From State Dept., Foreign Service” (1/31/2020)
• “Retiring GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander Speaks for Many GOP Senators: House Proved Its Case, Trump Guilty, But Crime Doesn’t Rise to Level of Impeachability; Therefore Get Trial Over With” (1/31/2020)
• “Fmr. Chief of Staff Gen. John Kelly Backs John Bolton’s Credibility Over Trump’s Again” (1/31/2020)
• “IMPEACHMENT TRIAL, DAY 11: Both Sides Offer Closing Arguments, 2 Hrs. Each” (2/3/2020)
• “Iowa Caucuses; Dems Embarrassed by Vote Tally Catastrophe; No Results Available” (2/3/2020)
• “IMPEACHMENT TRIAL, DAY 12: Senators Make Statements Explaining Their Vote” (2/4/2020)
• “SOTU: Trump Refuses to Shake Pelosi’s Hand; She Rips Up His Speech: GOP Reps. Cheer ‘Four more years!’; Fact-Checkers ID 31 Lies; Trump Treats SOTU as Reality Show, Campaign Rally” (2/4/2020)
• “Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) Speaks on Senate Floor Explaining His Decision to Vote Guilty” (2/5/2020)
• “IMPEACHMENT TRIAL, DAY 13: Senate Acquits Trump on Abuse of Power 52-48, Mostly Party Line; Romney Votes to Convict; 1st Time Ever Senator From President’s Party Voted to Convict” (2/5/2020)
• “Legendary Actor Kirk Douglas, Helped Break Grip of McCarthy Blacklists, Dies at 103” (2/5/2020)
• “Nationwide Protests Erupt Against Trump’s Acquittal in Senate Impeachment Trial” (2/5/2020)
• “WH Ramps Up Attempts to Block Publication of Fmr. Nat’l. Sec. Adviser John Bolton’s Book” (2/5/2020)
• “House Imp. Mgr. Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) Says John Bolton House Subpoena Likely” (2/5/2020)
• “Iowa Caucuses Results Nearly Official: Buttigieg Edges Sanders, Then Warren, Biden” (2/6/2020)

THIS WEEK’S ARTICLE

On Feb. 5, 2020, the Senate voted to acquit President Donald John Trump of the impeachment charges against him related to Ukraine.

Last Thursday night (Jan. 30), after Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) announced she would not be the hoped-for third GOP vote to allow witnesses and documents in the impeachment trial, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) went on cable news to explain the atomic bomb that just had been dropped on American democracy.

Fix Is In

In 2010 the Supreme Court decided the case of Citizens United v. FEC in favor of the plaintiffs. This was the decision that uncapped previous limits on political spending. It also allowed money sources to remain unidentified (i.e., dark money). Sen. Whitehouse explained how this has resulted in approximately six to 10 super-rich anonymous Republican donors coming together to move hundreds of millions of secretly sourced dollars.

Here’s the kicker: These donors have organized, funneling the bulk of their donations through the sole discretion of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). He controls which of his senators receive what share of these dark money funds. And the way the system is set up, senators are dependent upon these funds to run a successful reelection campaign. Ergo Leader McConnell is able to use this tremendous financial power to keep his caucus members in line, totally beholden to him.

So what explains Sen. Mitt Romney’s (R-Utah) “yes” vote with the Democrats on witnesses (and ultimately to convict)? What explains Sen. Susan Collins’ (R-Maine) “yes” vote? Romney is a reluctant maverick who holds enough Utah-ian constituent support that he is functionally immune to McConnell’s threats. Susan Collins? According to Mr. Whitehouse she was given a “hall pass” by McConnell. This means Mitch allowed her to vote “yes” on witnesses and documents because she is in a tight 2020 Maine reelection race in which she must show a modicum of independence from Trump. But she only received the hall pass because McConnell knew he had all other GOP senators besides Romney prostrate with his majority-leading foot up their posteriors. Note that Collins voted to acquit in the end.

Also note that Romney held firm. We’ve seen Mitt Romney break with his past (wishy-washy, flip-flopper) reputation and exhibit attributes during this impeachment trial that neither Susan Collins nor any other Republican senator has exhibited: integrity and character.

Why Are Ex-Trump Employees Still Afraid of Him?

Now you might ask: Why don’t retiring GOP legislators like Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) stand up to Trump, especially when we know most of them secretly loathe Donald? And what about former Cabinet members, senators, and top White House aides like Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, national security adviser H. R. McMaster, chief of staff Gen. John Kelly, Sen. Bob Corker, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, et al.? Why are they remaining mostly mute while the country and government are declining rapidly due to Trump’s shenanigans (i.e., crimes)?

My good friend, long-lost cousin, and history-teacher-lawyer-all-’round-smart-guy, Larry R., explained something to me a while back. Since then I’ve seen it reiterated by a few keen political pundits. Even if Republicans-no-longer-in-government don’t need Trump’s approval to get reelected or appointed anymore, the majority still depend on their Republican buds to make tons of money after they leave office. If they defy Donald they lose their social standing. They’ll be shut out of investment opportunities. They will be denied the lucrative corporate board memberships and lobbyist positions they had counted on. They’ll never get GOP support again if they have any future hope of elected office. And they’ll be shunned at the (country) club.

In this way, the Republican Party of Trump has become ethically depleted, morally spent.

Lesson Learned

But don’t worry. President Trump will be a good boy from now on according to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) in this CBS News interview:

[SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-MAINE):] “I believe that the president has learned from this case.”

[NORA O’DONNELL (CBS):] “What do you believe the president has learned?”

[SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-MAINE):] “The president has been impeached. That’s a pretty big lesson. I’m voting to acquit because I do not believe that the behavior alleged reaches the high bar in the Constitution for overturning an election and removing a duly elected president.”

[NORA O’DONNELL (CBS):] “But the president says he did nothing wrong. Why do you think he learned something?”

[SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R-MAINE):] “He was impeached. And there has been criticism by both Republican and Democratic senators of his call. I believe that he will be much more cautious in the future.”

(CBS Evening News; 2/4/2020.)

Remember that the pro-choice Sen. Collins explained she voted to confirm the rabidly pro-life Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh because of his assurance that he considered Roe v. Wade “settled law” and he never would vote to overturn that “precedent.”

Sen. Collins suffers from Brooklyn-Bridge-for-sale syndrome.

But wait. GOP Senators Joni Ernst and Lamar Alexander also are confidant Donald has learned his lesson:

“I think that he knows now that, if he is trying to do certain things — whether it’s ferreting out corruption there, in Afghanistan, whatever it is — he needs to go through the proper channels.”

(Ernst, Joni, R-Iowa, U.S. senator; CNN’s State of the Union; 2/2/2020.)

“[Sen. Lamar] Alexander was asked on NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ whether Trump might see his upcoming acquittal as an exoneration and a license to do it all again. ‘I don’t think so,’ Alexander said. ‘I hope not. I mean, enduring an impeachment is something that nobody should like. Even the president said he didn’t want that on his résumé. I don’t blame him. So if a call like that gets you an impeachment, I would think you would think twice before you did it again.’

“Then host Chuck Todd asked a fair question: ‘What example in the life of Donald Trump has [shown that he has] been chastened?’ Alexander conceded after a beat, ‘I haven’t studied his life that close.’”

(Blake, Aaron; “Susan Collins Says Trump Will Be ‘Much More Cautious’ After Impeachment. The Evidence Suggests Otherwise.”; The Washington Post; 2/4/2020.)

Check the Google for other Republican senators who believe Donald has learned his lesson.

Remember that this is the president who — one day after his 2016 campaign’s Russian collusion and obstruction of justice was exposed by special counsel Robert Mueller in his congressional testimony — got on the phone to extort dirt on Joe Biden from the new Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in return for military aid and a coveted White House visit.

SOTU

President Donald Trump delivered his State of the Union address in the people’s house Tuesday night, the night before his impending Senate impeachment vote. He opened by refusing to shake Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) hand. Pelosi closed by ripping a paper copy of his speech in half as he was finishing.

It essentially was a campaign event. Republicans chanted “Four more years” and cheered his every Democratic slight. Democrats chanted House bill numbers that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has refused to bring to a vote. They heckled Trump’s Trumpian lies.

And there were many.

The “Jeff Bezos Amazon Washington Post” compiled at least 31 whoppers that the president loves to repeat repeatedly. Redundantly. Over and over. I’ll mention just a few.

In his never-ending quest to gain approval while standing in Barack Obama’s long dark shadow, Donald perpetuated his lies about the economy: He has created more job growth. He’s lowered unemployment more. He has raised wages more. He’s made us energy independent. America was a sh*thole until he took over Obama’s failed reign.

But Steve Rattner, former Obama Treasury official, manager of Michael Bloomberg’s personal and philanthropic assets, and national economics expert, had a different story to tell on Wednesday’s morning cable news. Citing Trump’s own U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Steve made these comparisons between Obama’s last three years in office and Trump’s last three years in office:

— Average monthly job growth numbers: Obama, 227,000; Trump, 191,000

— Lowering of the unemployment rate: Obama, by 2.0%; Trump, by 1.2%

— Real wage growth adjusted for inflation: Obama, 1.1%; Trump, 0.6%

In other news, though Trump bragged that he has made America energy independent, U.S. oil and gas independence largely occurred well before Donald took office, under Obama’s watch.

To be fair, under the comparable three-year periods, GDP average annual growth was 2.4% under Obama, 2.5% under Trump — a hair better but essentially a statistical tie. Weigh this against statements Trump has made at any given time that he has increased GDP to 4%, 5%, 6%, or whatever he feels at the moment.

These are the facts.

Never Forget

Essentially most of Trump’s achievements have come upon the huge shoulders of Barack Obama including all Donald’s bogus claims about the economy and the energy revolution.

But it’s Trump’s failures we need to keep in mind: backtracking on climate change solutions, rolling back lifesaving safety regulations in industry and society, continuing to manipulate financial regulations and tax cuts in favor of his ultra-rich brethren, promoting his embarrassing and dangerous foreign policy, weakening alliances, endangering national security, buddying up to dictators, separating families and putting immigrant children in cages, and forcing parents to direct their kids not to act like the president.

Most importantly we need to keep his crimes in mind: obstruction of justice, witness tampering, bribery of foreign governments, numerous ongoing emoluments clauses violations, campaign finance violations (“Individual-1”), fraud (Trump Foundation, Trump University, inaugural committee, etc.), voter suppression, and more.

And the incompetence — don’t forget the incompetence.

And failures. And crimes. It’s that simple.

The Legendary Mitt Romney

Of course the big takeaway from the Senate impeachment trial now that it’s over is Mitt Romney’s (R-Utah) vote to convict the president on the abuse of power article (I).

Trump loves records and firsts. His impeachment represents the first time in American history that a senator of the president’s own party — a senator and former presidential candidate and party leader no less — ever voted to remove that president from office. And Donald’s impeachment trial was the first ever, out of 50-some Senate impeachment trials for presidents, judges, etc. since 1797, to close without hearing any witnesses or documentary evidence — because the president’s party controlled the Senate and the majority voted against evidence, effectively changing the definition of the word trial. In other words it was an empty acquittal.

Romney’s vote to convict, along with several vulnerable red-state Democratic senators, robbed Trump of bragging rights to a “bipartisan acquittal.” Only four senators — one Republican, three Democrats — were in the chamber the afternoon before the final vote to hear Romney’s 10-minute speech that explained his vote and rocked the White House. But it was the speech heard ’round the world. It left a glimmer of hope for the American democratic system. The Republican lawmaker in attendance walked out of the chamber in silence. Two of the Democratic legislators sat with eyes moistened, all three feeling profound reverence for the senator from Utah.

Mitt occasionally has been accused of waffling insincerity in the past, especially during his 2012 presidential run. But there can be no doubt about the depth of poignancy, good faith, and integrity that ran through Mr. Romney’s words yesterday.

“Is there one among you who will say: ‘Enough’?”

(Schiff, Adam, D-Calif., House Intelligence Committee chair, lead House impeachment manager; closing arguments, impeachment trial of President Donald John Trump; 2/3/2020.)

Yes there is.

Excerpts of Sen. Mitt Romney’s Speech Explaining His Vote to Convict

“The allegations made in the articles of impeachment are very serious. As a senator-juror, I swore an oath, before God, to exercise ‘impartial justice.’ I am profoundly religious. My faith is at the heart of who I am. (12-second pause to regain composure) I take an oath before God as enormously consequential. I knew from the outset that being tasked with judging the president, the leader of my own party, would be the most difficult decision I have ever faced. I was not wrong. …

“This verdict is ours to render. The people will judge us for how well and faithfully we fulfilled our duty. The grave question the Constitution tasks senators to answer is whether the president committed an act so extreme and egregious that it rises to the level of a ‘high crime and misdemeanor.’

“Yes, he did.

“Accordingly, the president is guilty of an appalling abuse of public trust. … Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office is perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one’s oath of office that I can imagine. …

“I have voted with [the president] 80% of the time. But my promise before God to apply impartial justice required that I put my personal feelings and biases aside. …

“I acknowledge that my verdict will not remove the president from office. … But irrespective of these things, with my vote, I will tell my children and their children that I did my duty to the best of my ability, believing that my country expected it of me. … [W]hat the president did was wrong, grievously wrong.

“We’re all footnotes at best in the annals of history. But in the most powerful nation on earth, the nation conceived in liberty and justice, that distinction is enough for any citizen.”

(Romney, Mitt, R-Utah, U.S. senator; floor speech; 2/5/2020.)■

__________

THIS WEEK’S IMPEACHMENT TIMELINE

[RECAP]: 1/26/2020 — Fmr. National Security Adviser John Bolton’s book excerpts are leaked to NYT: Trump told Bolton personally that Trump wanted to continue holding up military aid to Ukraine until Ukraine agreed to announce investigations into Joe Biden, CrowdStrike (2016 election); this revelation threatens to increase pressure on GOP senators to vote in favor of impeachment trial witnesses

[RECAP]: 1/29/2020 — IMPEACHMENT TRIAL, DAY 8: 1st day of 16 hours of Senate questions to defense, prosecution:  Defense lawyer Alan Dershowitz argues the president can abuse power to get reelected if “he believes it’s in public’s best interest”; Patrick Philbin argues the president can use foreign dirt to get reelected “as long as it doesn’t violate campaign finance law” 

[IMPEACHMENT: DAY 122 — 1/30/20]

1/30/2020 — IMPEACHMENT TRIAL, DAY 9: 2nd 8-hour day of Senate questions to defense, prosecution

1/31/2020 — New John Bolton revelations: Trump told Bolton to call Ukrainian President Zelensky to have him meet with Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, 2 months before infamous Ukraine extortion call; White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, Energy Secretary Rick Perry were in the room; Bolton never made the call

1/31/2020 — IMPEACHMENT TRIAL, DAY 10: Senate votes 51-49 to block all witnesses, documents; Mitt Romney, Susan Collins only Republicans to vote to hear witnesses, see evidence

1/31/2020 — Retiring GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander speaks for many Republican senators: House proved its case, Trump did the crime, but crime doesn’t rise to level of impeachability; therefore he voted “No” on witnesses, documents to get the trial over with

2/3/2020 — IMPEACHMENT TRIAL, DAY 11: Both sides offer closing arguments, 2 hours each

2/4/2020 — IMPEACHMENT TRIAL, DAY 12: Senators make statements explaining their final vote

2/5/2020 — Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) speaks on Senate floor explaining his decision to vote guilty on Article I, Abuse of Power; shocks White House

2/5/2020 — IMPEACHMENT: (LAST) DAY 128;  

IMPEACHMENT TRIAL, DAY 13: Senate votes to acquit Trump: Article I, Abuse of Power, 52-48; Article II, Obstruction of Congress, 53-47; Mitt Romney (R-Utah) is only senator to break ranks, voting to convict on abuse of power; Romney’s vote to convict, along with several vulnerable red-state Democratic senators, robs Trump of bragging rights to a “bipartisan acquittal”; marks 1^st time in American history a senator of president’s own party voted to convict that president; Senate vote to hear no witnesses, see no documents, assures an empty, meaningless acquittal

[Tom Ersin has been a full-time professional writer and editor since 2010 and holds degrees in communications and counseling. He’s a long-time political observer and has written a half-dozen nonfiction books on 21st century U.S. politics.] Click here to purchase book. Please leave a rating.