What should be evident as of this point is that Republicans will stop at nothing to turn the world upside down in order to defend Trump. Trump violated the public trust and he will be impeached by the House. What remains unknown is whether Senate Republicans will yield to the wishes of the House Republicans to turn the Senate trial into a clown show. What Republicans want is to magically make everyone forget that up is up and down is down.
The two articles of impeachment encapsulate the crime for which Trump is to be tried. Trump has committed many crimes, including bribery and numerous violations of the emoluments clause. But the Ukraine call provides the opportunity to demonstrably prove that Trump sought foreign interference in an American election.
The White House’s own description of the telephone call with Zelensky clearly outlines that aid to Ukraine was contingent on the Ukraine announcing the opening of an investigation into Joe Biden’s son. It is evident from that call that Trump had no interest in corruption in Ukraine. All Trump wanted was to get a fire started that would compromise Biden. The whistleblower’s complaint laid bare Trump and Giuliani’s conspiracy to implicate Biden.
Once the articles of impeachment are transferred to the Senate, Republicans will be compelled by the evidence to either agree or disagree that Trump’s demand constituted an affront to the rule of the Constitution. Senators blindly siding with Trump will go down in history as craven politicians that were too afraid of Trump to do their sworn Constitutional duties. Their eventual re-elections will be compromised by their allegiance to Trump and it is the Democrats’ duty to ensure that the messaging be clear: that McConnell and his band of scofflaws pursued their naked political interests ahead of the interests of the United States.
This much is clear, Trump will not be exonerated by the Senate because there is no counter-narrative that explains away the withholding of aid until after Trump learned of the existence of the whistleblower complaint. Just as Al Capone was caught for tax evasion, Trump’s brand will be tarnished by the impeachment and no subsequent effort on the part of McConnell will put a shine on the turd that is the Trump presidency.