Ross: Impeachment about more than what Trump deserves
Jan 17, 2020, 8:11 AM | Updated: 12:42 pm
Chief Justice John Roberts being sworn in as the Senate impeachment trial begins. (Senate Television via AP)
(Senate Television via AP)
“Do you solemnly swear that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of Donald John Trump, you will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws, so help you God?”
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All of the Senators, even the ones who we know will not be impartial, swore in writing before God and the Chief Justice that they would be.
But Lord, before you send a thunderbolt, please consider that for Democrats who believe we’re about to stumble into a war, “impartial justice” could easily mean dismissing Donald Trump.
And for Republicans who think this is all motivated by a personal grudge, it could just as easily mean dismissing the charges.
That tells me it’s time to consult one of our founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton. He wanted to correct what he saw as the biggest problem with the British Monarchy – that a corrupt king could not be removed “without involving the crisis of a national revolution.”
In short, impeachment was supposed to prevent a crisis, not create one.
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That means Senators can’t simply consider the evidence. They must consider whether that evidence is truly convincing for the people they represent, and that removing the President is the only option.
This can’t just be about what Donald Trump deserves, but what is most likely to keep the nation at peace with itself. Otherwise, divine thunderbolts will be the least of our problems.
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