After the main witness vote he spent Friday evening with - IIRC - 4 amendments on witnesses and documents. Instead of submitting 4 amendments for witnesses and documents he should have submitted an amendment to the Rules of Impeachment trial that AFTER the votes on the articles that a motion for formal Senate Censure was in order based on those articles.
That way all those Senators that said “ya, he did it, it’s wrong, but doesn’t rise to the level of impeachment” could vote to chastise the Presidents actions to advance his reelection campaign in a dirt-for-arms tactic.
Censure is a formal action to rebuke the actions of an official that the Senate can adopt to state publicly that the Presidents actions are wrong, but don’t rise to the level of impeachment, and there are no repercussions to the President - he isn’t removed from office nor barred from running for reelection.
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Minority Leader Schumer, knowing that witness votes would fail, nowing that that McConnell will not allow conviction on impeachment - you screwed up. Should have gone for a Censure Amendment.
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.WW, PHS
#1 Public statements from multiple GOP Senators such as Alexander, Murkowski, Portman, Rubio, and others.
#2 Censure dose not require 2/3 vote for approval just a simple majority. There are 4 Senators right there on record saying the Presidents use of the Oval Office for personal gain wasn’t impeachable but wrong. Add Romney and Collins and that’s 6 to join with the DEMs and the amendment would have passed.
#3 Like I said, Schumer screwed up.
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.WW, PHS
Personally, I think Pelosi screwed up as well. She rushed the whole impeachment thing through, without waiting for the courts on the whole subpoena thing. She could have then had the witnesses testify in the House so this didn’t even become an issue in the Senate.
Of course, with it being this close to an election, I think the whole impeachment thing was a bad idea right now. Also, if she was going to impeach, why not include the findings of the Mueller report? There was plenty of documented dirt in there.
I have no doubt Donald Trump would use the power of his office to destroy the careers of any Republican who would vote to censure him. Any Republican who would vote to censure the president would certainly be punished by their constituents.
Nothing Donald Trump did was wrong. I hope he does it again and again so that Democrats get red in the face. It’s hilarious.
Pelosi and her partisan House handed.a bag of worthless owl dung to the Senate putting Schumer’s minority in a doomed position.
The House then anointed two of the preparers of the debacle as “managers” during the Senate trial proceedings!
The House did the job of amateurs in an impeachment proceeding then insisted the Senate clear away the wreckage of their folly and do the job correctly essentially leaving Schumer holding the bag. Oh the Dems will circle the wagons and give it a go again but it will be interesting to see who the players will be and how Chuck and Nancy play together moving forward.
