McConnell

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been one of the most durable and effective of the enemies of American democracy. It’s nice to know that he may soon have to squirm. He has said that he will not be impartial in the constitutionally mandated trial of the impeachment of Trump. He has made it clear that he wants to engineer a quick acquittal of Trump and doesn’t give a damn about justice. As Harvard Law School professor Lawrence Lessig pointed out in an op-ed in this morning’s Washington Post, to participate in the trial –- to act as a juror in his capacity as a United States senator –- McConnell must swear an oath to do impartial justice. Unless he disavows his earlier statements and acts accordingly –– don’t hold your breath –– McConnell will have to swear a false oath. Lessig points the likely consequences for such behavior. If McConnell gets his comeuppance, it will be justly deserved.