IIf the outcome of Donald Trump’s impeachment trial had been a Hollywood film, the exciting song would have started around the time Congressman Joe Neguse explained why he thinks the US Senate floor is “sacred”.
“The 13th amendment, the amendment that abolishes slavery, was passed in this very room – not figuratively, literally where all of you are sitting and where I am,” said Neguse, son of immigrants from Eritrea. “We made the decision to enter World War II from this chamber. We certainly had our fights, but we are always up to the occasion when it matters most. “
The chords would have increased when Jamie Raskin, the chief impeachment manager, looked the senators in the eye and pleaded, “The children of the insurrectionists – even the violent and dangerous ones – are our children too.”
And even hard-hearted Republicans would have turned to each other and cried when Raskin pleaded, “Senators, this trial is ultimately not about Donald Trump. The country and the world know who Donald Trump is. This judgment is about who we are. Who we are!“
But Washington is not Hollywood and the Senate – although predictable – does not guarantee happy endings. The cold, hard fact of Trump’s second impeachment trial on Saturday was Trump’s second acquittal. Her son, Eric, tweeted simply: “2-0”.
As the time to vote came just before 4 pm, the old chamber was filled with a buzz of expectant voices. McConnell, sitting in the front row, planted his fingertips together like a cartoon villain. The public gallery above was a sea of empty chairs because of coronavirus precautions, although Democratic Congressman Al Green of Texas, one of the pioneers of Trump’s impeachment requests, was sitting alone and watching.
The charge against Trump for inciting insurrection has been read. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the oldest member of the Senate and president of the trial, said: “Senators, how do you say? Is the defendant, Donald John Trump, guilty or innocent? “
Usually, senators vote by shouting “Yes!” or not! “The way each now took turns to stand up and pronounce” guilty “or” innocent “gave the event a new gravity, as if it suddenly evoked a court of justice.
They voted in alphabetical order, with all senators except Rand Paul wearing masks because of the virus. The voice of “guilty” or “not guilty” wavered between Democrats on the left and Republicans on the right.
Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown presented a characteristically serious “culprit”. Richard Burr of North Carolina and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana were the first Republicans to break through the ranks. Republican Ted Cruz stood up, buttoned his blue jacket and said out loud: “Innocent”.
When his turn came, McConnell, who had described the vote as a “difficult decision”, took off his mask and stood up with his hands folded in front of the yellow tie. “Innocent,” he said, quietly, but firmly.
From that moment on, luck was cast. If the minority leader had gone against Trump, it is not difficult to imagine that a sufficient number of Republicans would have followed to guarantee a conviction. For those who believe that McConnell is the architect of much of what went wrong in his party and in his country, it was another convincing proof.
After about 10 minutes, the result was announced: 57 guilty, 43 innocent. Leahy stated: “Two-thirds of the senators present having not voted guilty, the Senate judges that the defendant, Donald John Trump, former president of the United States, is not guilty of the impeachment article.”
It was not a complete justification. By simple majority, Trump lost. It was the most bipartisan margin in favor of history’s conviction. He was fortunate that Senate rules required two-thirds of the votes cast. Impeachment managers were only 10 below.
In one of the last spaces on Earth where phones and laptops are banned, reporters fled the press gallery to meet their deadlines. Most senators also ran for exits. But some of both parties went to Ben Sasse, one of the Republican rebels, to offer words of support or punches to the arm.
When the Senate returned to its normal state – almost empty – there was a final turnaround. Chuck Schumer, the majority leader, spoke from the heart: “This judgment was not even about choosing the country over the party, not even that. It was about choosing the country over Donald Trump. And 43 Republican members chose Trump. They chose Trump. It must be a burden on your conscience today. And it will be a burden on your conscience in the future. “
And then McConnell made his strongest criticism of the former president. “Former President Trump’s actions that preceded the riot were a shameful neglect of duty,” he said. “There is no doubt – none – that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for causing the events of that day.”
McConnell only voted for absolution, he said, due to a technicality: citizen Trump “is not constitutionally eligible for sentencing”.
Only in today’s Washington could anyone be so perceptive about the greatest betrayal of a President of the United States by his oath and office just minutes after leaving him out of danger. It was as if a juror at the OJ Simpson trial voted innocent and ran out with the news that yes, of course it was him.
But if there’s one thing that McConnell has mastered over the years, it’s the art of having your cake and eating it too.