Sen. Josh Hawley, a staunch Republican supporter of former President Donald Trump, had a lot to say about day three of the Democrats’ impeachment trial against the former president in an interview with Fox News host Harris Faulkner.
According to Fox News, Hawley made clear that he believes the Senate impeachment trial is a joke while slamming Democrats in Congress for continuing to attempt to punish Trump while there are other issues at hand that need to be dealt with.
“It is totally unconstitutional and it is incredibly selfish on the part of the Democrats who are pursuing their own personal political vendettas here,” Hawley said. “This is a total kangaroo trial.”
Thursday marked the third day for the prosecution — the team of House impeachment managers — to make their case to the Senate jurors with the hopes of convincing enough Republicans to vote in favor of convicting the 45th president. It’s still considered a virtually impossible obstacle to persuade a staggering 17 Republican senators to vote against the former president, as many of them who are up for reelection next year would undoubtedly end their political careers.
Hawley is a firm believer that the Senate impeachment trial is blatantly unconstitutional, as the person being tried is no longer in public office. Of course, legal scholars on both sides have argued one way or the other, as there is no clear language that dictates what happens in an impeachment if the person being impeached leaves office before the trial date.
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“The Constitution does not permit them to do what they are trying to do,” Hawley said.
The Missouri senator also made clear that he fully condemns the actions of the violent rioters who ransacked the Capitol on January 6 — a tragic event that led to the loss of five American lives on that day alone, with scores more injured and maimed.
“You’re not going to get anything but condemnation from me for what happened with those criminals at the Capitol on Jan. 6, but that doesn’t make the trial any more legitimate than it is, which is totally illegitimate — no basis in the Constitution,” Hawley said.
At the onset of the Senate trial, a vote revealed that 44 Republicans do not believe the trial is constitutional. The number is one less from a previous vote, as Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy added to the five previous Republicans in favor of proceeding with the trial, citing the House impeachment managers’ compelling case as his reason for flipping.
Cassidy was heavily condemned by Republican leaders in his home state for siding with Democrats on the issue.
ARTICLE SOURCE: thefederalistpapers.org
