The antifederalists looked to impeachment as a prime example of everything that was wrong with the Senate. Despite the expectations of the Constitutional Convention, the antifederalists did not think the Senate would ever remove the president, much less any other official it approved of. Republican lawmakers have an interest in the political survival of the Republican president, just as Democratic lawmakers have an equivalent interest in the survival of a Democratic president. And for Republicans under Trump specifically, their political survival depends on, in Luther Martin’s words, “the favour of the President.” Just ask Jeff Flake. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.

Source: New York Times January 28, 2020 09:56 UTC