A Washington Post analysis argued Thursday that the four ways Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will still lose when running up against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on the impeachment trial.
Reporter Amber Phillips explained that the four possible outcomes of the Pelosi-McConnell showdown range from a loss to a catastrophe for McConnell.
One possible outcome, she explained, is that there could be no Senate trial at all. At a time when so many Republicans are up for reelection in the Senate, refusing to hold a legitimate and fair trial will look like the Republicans are playing politics with something serious. There's a 52.3 percent majority of Americans who support an impeachment trial to 42 percent against. Meanwhile, 70 percent of Americans agree that what President Donald Trump did was "wrong."
These are not good numbers for Republican senators scrambling to try and hold onto their seats.
"The consensus among legal experts is that the Constitution requires a Senate trial to happen after the House impeaches a president," Phillips wrote. "Senators decide whether to acquit or convict the president on the impeachment charges (in this case, abuse of power and obstruction of Congress), and if they convict him, he’s removed from office."
Another resolution is that Pelosi gets everything she wants. Even if Republicans think they can trip up Democrats in other ways during the trial, it's still a huge win for Democrats. Phillips explained, however, that this is a little farfetched.
The worst-case for Democrats is if McConnell gets his way and gets to hold the trial in a way that fully benefits Trump. Even if McConnell gets everything he wants, Americans have made it clear they want a fair and legitimate trial. McConnell treating the process like a joke is only going to make Republicans look worse.
Phillips argued that it was less likely because Trump desperately wants a trial, even if McConnell doesn't.
Finally, the two parties could come to some sort of compromise. Given McConnell doesn't want any kind of a trial at all, that would still be a victory for Democrats.
