Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) alone has frozen the Senate in place letting little but judicial appointments through the door. The self-anointed Grim Reaper of the supposedly equal branch of government has taken his scythe to hundreds of bills sent over by the House of Representatives.
Before the House had even sent the articles of impeachment over to him, McConnell claimed that he was working with the White House on the upcoming trial. That was clearly an ethical blunder. As a result, Public Citizen filed an ethics complaint against McConnell in the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics Monday.
Public Citizen requested that the committee investigate the Kentucky senator. It wanted to make certain that the committee questioned whether the Senate Leader violated his oath as it applied under The Constitution. It also wanted the committee to decide whether McConnell should recuse himself in the impeachment trial, according to The Common Dream.
Since impeachment trials to decide whether to oust the president from his job are so infrequent, there are few rules surrounding them.
Impeachment trials have been the only place where the senators were bound by a second oath of office. This was the one facing the senators now:
‘I solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case may be) that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of Donald Trump, now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws: So help me God.’
President of Public Citizen Robert Weissman said:
‘The public declarations by Senator McConnell that his role in the impeachment process is to coordinate with the White House and thereby make a mockery of the trial directly contradict his oath of impartiality. This is not about whether McConnell has views on Trump’s guilt or whether he has reached a conclusion based on the available evidence. It’s about whether he will design a process that aims to render impartial justice. He has made clear he has no intention of doing so.’
Vice President of Legislative Affairs for Public Citizen Lisa Gilbert said:
‘We understand that senators are partisan politicians and have very clear opinions on whether Trump has committed impeachable offenses stemming from what they heard in the House process. Today’s ethics complaint reflects the distinct issue raised by McConnell’s actions to rebuke his oath of impartiality and coordinate the rules of the impeachment trial with the White House.’
President Bill Clinton (D) was impeached in 1999. During his trial, Senators from both parties agreed to hold a “respectable” trial.
Government Affairs Lobbyist for Public Citizen’s Congress Watch Division Craig Holman said:
‘Holding a kangaroo court not only mocks the institution of the Senate, but it also does no favors for Trump. f the public views the trial as rigged, a “not guilty” verdict from the Senate will not be seen by the public as grounds for exoneration.’
To read Public Citizen’s complaint against McConnell click here.
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.
