Mitch McConnell Blasted For Loyalty To Donald Trump By Top Kentucky Newspaper
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been open about his intention of coordinating with the White House for the upcoming Senate trial on the impeachment of Donald Trump, which has led to criticism from some. In an op-ed for the Louisville Courier-Journal, Kent Greenfield of Kentucky ?– McConnell’s constituency ?– took aim at the senator for his approach to the impeachment probe, Newsweek reports.
“We Kentuckians know that our word is our bond. Oaths are the most solemn of promises, and their breach results in serious reputational — and sometimes legal — consequences,” the editorial began, before noting that Trump will be heading to trial for breaching an oath and accusing McConnell of being “about to breach two.”
According to Greenfield, the Constitution requires a fair, impartial Senate hearing. He noted that if the president has not acted correctly, it is the duty of the Senate to “be faithful in its adjudication of the case against him.”
“But we have already seen indications that McConnell has no intention of doing impartial justice. He has said that he does not consider himself an ‘impartial juror.’ He is coordinating strategy with the White House.”
Greenfield continued to note each senator’s “constitutional obligation of impartiality” and called McConnell’s role as head of the Senate reflective of an obligation that is greater in its importance and even more “crucial to the constitutional framework.”
“This is not a time for political cynicism or constitutional faithlessness,” Greenfield wrote, suggesting that McConnell should be able to look past his loyalty to Trump and focus on his commitment to the Constitution.
He concluded by suggesting that failure to honor his oaths to the Constitution would mean that McConnell would violate both his Article I and Article VI oaths.
.@RepJeffries: "McConnell said, 'I am going to coordinate w/POTUS's lawyers so there won't be any difference between us on how to do this.' In other words, the jury is going to coordinate with the defendant on how the kangaroo court is going to be run…that is a process concern" pic.twitter.com/Pw7fwB3HmV
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 13, 2019
Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski recently attacked McConnell for his purported loyalty to Trump. She said McConnell’s comments about coordinating with the White House “disturbed” her, suggesting that she perceived it as implying the Senate needs to “step back” from working closely with the defense.
Murkowski is reportedly one of three GOP Senators ?– Sen. Susan Collins and Sen. Mitt Romney ?are the others — that could break with Trump and vote to convict him in the Senate. The 62-year-old Alaskan senator said that she believed prejudging a trial is “wrong” and also revealed that she doesn’t fear criticism from Democrats or Republicans from doing her job.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is currently holding on to the two articles of impeachment passed against Trump, claiming that she’s waiting until she believes the Senate trial will be fair before passing them on to the upper house.
