In his column for The Washington Post today, Michael Gerson writes that Republicans senators saying there's "nothing new" in the House's case against President Trump is confirmation of their "barefaced bad faith."
"In this matter, elected Republicans are mainly serving, not the president, and certainly not the republic, but themselves," Gerson writes. "Having decided that no amount of evidence would be sufficient for conviction, they realize that the presentation of a full and compelling case would convict them of servility and institutional surrender. So a quick and dirty Senate trial is the best way to limit the exposure of their malpractice."
According to Gerson, Republicans see impeachment as a tool to raise funds and rally their base -- which compounds Trump's crimes against democracy. "The theory seems to be: If you are going to betray the constitutional order, you might as well profit from it."
Thanks to Senate Republicans, Trumps acquittal will likely come at any cost. After escaping accountability in the wake of the Mueller report, the appearance of vindication emboldened Trump even more, Gerson contends. "Give Trump an inch and he’ll take Ukraine."
Gerson writes that according to Trump's track record, the only mode of accountability for him will be the 2020 election.
"Trump avoided accountability after the Mueller probe. He is likely to avoid accountability for the Ukraine squeeze. That leaves one last source of accountability — the election in November. This will be a test, not of the Republican Party, but of the republic."
Read his full piece over at The Washington Post.