Once again, Republicans put tribalism over patriotism
Opinion by Max Boot
“What we already know does constitute the greatest violation of his oath of office by any president in the history of the country.” So said Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the No. 3 House Republican, two days before the start of former president Donald Trump’s impeachment trial in the Senate.
The devastating presentation by the House impeachment managers has only strengthened an already strong case. No impartial observer could possibly doubt that Trump, with his lies about election fraud, incited the mob that attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6. No Trump, no attack. It’s that simple.
Trump’s complicity did not end when the first rioters stormed the citadel of democracy. House impeachment manager Joe Neguse (D-Colo.) asked senators to imagine how much damage could have been averted if Trump had immediately told the rioters to “stop the attack” with “even half as much force as he said ‘Stop the Steal.’”
Yet Trump did not tell the mob to disperse for hours, and when he finally did, he also told them: “We love you. You’re very special.” Those words of tribute are especially jarring when juxtaposed with the harrowing videos played by the House impeachment managers. I am haunted by the insurrectionist screaming like a character from a horror film, “Nancy, we’re looking for you. Oh Naaaancy! Where are you Nancy?” while searching for the House speaker. We now know that senators such as Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) had narrow escapes from the violent mob. How can any senator possibly acquit a president who thinks the very people who were hunting them are “very special”?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/02/11/once-again-republicans-put-tribalism-over-patriotism/
