Yet, rather than hear what Bolton had to say, Republican senators voted to hold the first impeachment trial in U.S. history without a single live witness or new document. Nothing supported this unprecedented prohibition on witnesses and documents, except the overriding interest of a president determined to hide any further incriminating information from the American people and a Senate majority leader in his thrall. They argued that a president cannot abuse his power, no matter how corrupt his conduct, if he believes it will benefit his reelection. By denying the American people a fair trial, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) also deprived the president of something that he desperately sought — exoneration. The president will not be vindicated, and neither will the Senate, certainly not by history.

Source: Washington Post February 05, 2020 22:32 UTC