Democrats should make the strategic decision to hold Republican senators accountable by pushing for the censure of President Donald Trump, The Washington Post editorial board suggested on Monday.
The newspaper noted that multiple Republicans are now acknowledging wrongdoing by the president, but are still expected to vote for acquittal on Wednesday.
The editorial suggested removing Trump from office but allowing him to run in the 2020 election as a private citizen.
"The strongest argument offered by Republicans is that the Senate should allow voters to decide Mr. Trump’s fate. Striking him from the ballot, they say, would turbocharge the country’s divisions and leave many convinced that U.S. democracy had been subverted. We agree that’s a danger, but there’s also a solution for it: remove Mr. Trump, thereby guarding against further election interference, while allowing him on the ballot if the Republican Party renominates him," the newspaper noted.
If Republicans would not do that, the newspaper suggested censure.
"The reality is that Republicans who acknowledge Mr. Trump’s guilt appear less interested in a remedy than in an excuse to vote for acquittal. They ought to be tested on whether they will stand behind their conclusion that the president’s behavior was wrong," The Post wrote.
"Democrats should put forward a censure resolution saying that the extortion of Ukraine’s president was 'inappropriate.' Then Americans will see which GOP senators will still dare to speak truth to Mr. Trump," the newspaper suggested.