The Impeachment Trial of Donald Trump: Can He be Convicted?

[Tom Paine 1949]

BY RALPH NADER

Texas Congressman Joaquin Castro ... asked his colleagues: “If inciting a deadly insurrection is not enough to get a president impeached, then what is?” Ten Republicans voted for Impeachment, but 197 House Republicans disagreed....

Congressional Republicans have aided and abetted, for four years, Trump’s assertion that ... “I can do whatever I want as president.” Dangerous Donald did just that. He finally incited a massive, homicidal street crime against the very Congress that let him get away with everything, day after day ...

The GOP speakers who defended Trump in the House Impeachment debate will go down in history as unsurpassed political cowards ... Trump’s Congressional protectors, however, failed. The House of Representatives voted for Articles of Impeachment that are on their way to the Senate for a certain trial. The Senate should convict treacherous unrepentant Trump and ban him from ever seeking federal office again....

Trump’s business allies and supporters are not waiting for any verdicts. Major corporations such as Disney, Coca-Cola, and J.P. Morgan Chase have suspended campaign contributions to the GOP. Last week, the powerful National Association of Manufacturers demanded that Trump be removed from office under the 25th Amendment. Trump’s banks, to whom he owes hundreds of millions of dollars, are distancing themselves from their insatiable borrower....

McConnell ... is turning against Trump by declining to oppose Impeachment and signaling that he may unleash his Republican Senators to convict Trump, if only for their own political survival. The GOP polls are slipping and will slip more as the toxic stench of what occurred before and during the January 6th attack increases....

McConnell does not want Trump either to run or threaten to run again in 2024. The only way that yoke can be lifted is to free 17 or more Republican Senators to vote for conviction followed by a simple majority vote banning Trump from future federal office...

What are the probabilities that a conviction in the Senate will be achieved? Better than 50/50, given the survival instincts of the politicians wanting ... Trump off their backs.

The Impeachment Trial of Donald Trump: Can He be Convicted? - CounterPunch.org

 

[Meister]

Slim to none, and slim just left the building.

 

[Auld Phart]

The Impeachment Process in the Senate (congress.gov)

" When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present. The Senate enjoys broad discretion in establishing procedures to be undertaken in an impeachment trial. "

Lots of luck finding 17 votes.

 

[Erinwltr]

All the Senate needs to do is vote to remove DJTs United States Secret Service detail.

 

[Uncensored2008]

There will be no trial.

Can the object of the hatred of the Reich be convicted without a trial?

Of course. It's not like we have a functional system of government.

I love how the Reich quotes Nazi fuck Joaquin Castro who openly incited riots and violence all summer.

------------------------------

Then in 2019, Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro said Democrats would “fight [Trump] and challenge him in every way that we can in the Congress, in the courts, and in the streets and protests,” regarding if Trump declared a national emergency.

In 2019, when Trump was considering declaring a “national emergency” over the then-gov’t shutdown, Rep. @JoaquinCastrotx said if he did, Democrats would “fight him … in the streets” pic.twitter.com/rxSnSKhhLn

 

[White 6]

Slim to none, and slim just left the building.

I would not go quite that far, but the further from his insurrection and attempted coup over free elections, the lower the chances. American politicians are notoriously short on memory.

 

[ReinyDays]

If 2/3's of Senate votes to "remove The Donald from office", all that would mean is he couldn't run for elective office again ...

The DoJ can file charges against him anytime after Jan 20th in District Court ... former Presidents have no protect from prosecution ... and DoJ won't need the Senate's approval ...

 

[Tom Paine 1949]

Ralph Nader probably has a better idea than I do of what the likelihood for Trump’s conviction in the Senate really is. Of course he despises McConnell as much as I or anyone. I have already indicated that I favor conviction and believe it would help protect the integrity of our Republic — the one Benjamin Franklin supposedly said was ours “if you can keep it.”

Of course the Republic today is dominated by corporate money and the MIlitary Industrial Complex and all sorts of special interests (dominating both parties). But in Franklin’s day Congress was also dominated by special interests. Ours was then a “slave” Republic, in which Northern merchants, small manufacturers and shipping interests were also deeply involved in slavery. We were also then just beginning to build a (Continental) empire. We cannot logically believe our Congress and Republic was worth defending then, but is no longer worth defending.

Nobody should imagine that the road to save our Republic and make it really serve our people’s interests will be easy. No one party and no one man and certainly no narcissistic demagogue can do it for us. But so long as we still have a democratic Republic and “we the people” can vote, we have the opportunity to fight back legally against the oligarchy of wealth, corporate and monopoly powers. Ralph Nader has been trying to show us ways to do that for decades, preaching an alliance of right and left where possible, ending Citizen’s United dark money control of politics, and pushing “good government” and socially conscious democratic reforms of the economy.

 

[Uncensored2008]

Slim to none, and slim just left the building.

I would not go quite that far, but the further from his insurrection and attempted coup over free elections, the lower the chances. American politicians are notoriously short on memory.

 

[Uncensored2008]

If 2/3's of Senate votes to "remove The Donald from office", all that would mean is he couldn't run for elective office again ...

The DoJ can file charges against him anytime after Jan 20th in District Court ... former Presidents have no protect from prosecution ... and DoJ won't need the Senate's approval ...

I'd love to see a constitutional basis for his not running again?

And what would the DOJ charge him with? Orange Man Bad?

 

[Dogmaphobe]

"incite" When and where did he tell people to go storm the White house, anyway?

 

[TNHarley]

If 2/3's of Senate votes to "remove The Donald from office", all that would mean is he couldn't run for elective office again ...

If the senate passes it, they can also vote to remove his pension, secret service, a library etc.

 

[Uncensored2008]

If 2/3's of Senate votes to "remove The Donald from office", all that would mean is he couldn't run for elective office again ...

If the senate passes it, they can also vote to remove his pension, secret service, a library etc.

How could they "remove" a privately funded library?

 

[Tom Paine 1949]

The conviction of Trump on the impeachment charge of course requires significant Republican support. In my humble opinion Republican Senators have a wonderful chance to help our nation and renew the GOP by voting to convict this braggart, conman and demagogue. They need not reject a single political position they may have by rejecting this man and his unprecedented conduct. Some may argue this will hurt the party or their own careers in the short run, but I believe it will ultimately be seen — at least in many cases — as a true Republican “profile in courage.”

 

[Dogmaphobe]

The conviction of Trump on the impeachment charge of course requires significant Republican support. In my humble opinion Republican Senators have a wonderful chance to help our nation and renew the GOP by voting to convict this braggart, conman and demagogue. They need not reject a single political position they may have by rejecting this man and his unprecedented conduct. Some may argue this will hurt the party or their own careers in the short run, but I believe it will ultimately be seen — at least in many cases — as a true Republican “profile in courage.”

Sure thing.

All you gotta do is show where he actually incited anybody.

Just parroting what others are claiming is not proof. Show the actual words that would hold up to scrutiny were it one of your fellow extreme leftists saying it, instead.

 

[ReinyDays]

I'd love to see a constitutional basis for his not running again?

Bubba never finish Middle School ... "Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law." - Article 1, Section 3 [emphasis mine] ...

You must really hate the United States to have never read her Constitution ...

And what would the DOJ charge him with? Orange Man Bad?

If he's broken the law ... and DoJ thinks they can prove this beyond a reasonable doubt ... you must hate the United States if you think anyone is above the law ...

His speech from The Oval on Jan 6th is border line ... I think there's some doubt there that he incited the riot at the Capitol ... I've listened to his speech and though I think it was in bad taste, that's not inciting a riot ... however, the Senate can "remove him from office" willy-nilly ... and the longer the Senate debates the matter, the less damage they'll do to our freedoms and liberties ...

 

[White 6]

If 2/3's of Senate votes to "remove The Donald from office", all that would mean is he couldn't run for elective office again ...

If the senate passes it, they can also vote to remove his pension, secret service, a library etc.

Not secret service. That is for our protection as well as his.

 

[TheProgressivePatriot]

Slim to none, and slim just left the building.

I would not be too sure of that. Republicans are abandoning him like rats from a sinking ship. They know the damage that he has done to the Reoublican brand and they know that the country can't go through another 4 years of him. Hell the world cant either. I am willing to bet that there are enough Republicans who are willing to risk the rath of his base for the good of the country. And there are senators with presidential ambitions who do not want him gunking up their primary field

 

[Auld Phart]

Slim to none, and slim just left the building.

I would not be too sure of that. Republicans are abandoning him like rats from a sinking ship. They know the damage that he has done to the Reoublican brand and they know that the country can't go through another 4 years of him. Hell the world cant either. I am willing to bet that there are enough Republicans who are willing to risk the rath of his base for the good of the country. And there are senators with presidential ambitions who do not want him gunking up their primary field

They know the damage that he has done to the Reoublican brand

They also know the damage the Party would take were he to be convicted.

At best, they will get 57 votes, (a guess), of the 67 needed to convict

 

[Uncensored2008]

I'd love to see a constitutional basis for his not running again?

Bubba never finish Middle School ... "Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law." - Article 1, Section 3 [emphasis mine] ...

You must really hate the United States to have never read her Constitution ...

And what would the DOJ charge him with? Orange Man Bad?

If he's broken the law ... and DoJ thinks they can prove this beyond a reasonable doubt ... you must hate the United States if you think anyone is above the law ...

His speech from The Oval on Jan 6th is border line ... I think there's some doubt there that he incited the riot at the Capitol ... I've listened to his speech and though I think it was in bad taste, that's not inciting a riot ... however, the Senate can "remove him from office" willy-nilly ... and the longer the Senate debates the matter, the less damage they'll do to our freedoms and liberties ...

What law do you of the Reich claim he has broken?

Slim to none, and slim just left the building.

I would not be too sure of that. Republicans are abandoning him like rats from a sinking ship. They know the damage that he has done to the Reoublican brand and they know that the country can't go through another 4 years of him. Hell the world cant either. I am willing to bet that there are enough Republicans who are willing to risk the rath of his base for the good of the country. And there are senators with presidential ambitions who do not want him gunking up their primary field

Yeah, I mean a whole 10 from the house sides with the Nazis...