Four Senators Must Recuse Themselves From Impeachment Trial

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Armed Services Committee, Veterans’ Affairs Committee and the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, said on Wednesday the four Democrat senators running for president should recuse themselves from taking part in President Trump's impeachment trial.

In a statement Blackburn said, “Tomorrow, one hundred United States Senators will be sworn in to serve in the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump.  Four of those senators must recuse themselves for their unparalleled political interest in seeing this President removed from office.  Senators Bernie Sanders, Amy Klobuchar, Michael Bennet and Elizabeth cannot sit in judgment of the very President they seek to replace.”

Article II of the Constitution stipulates “no impeached President can be removed unless two-thirds of senators agree and when sitting for an impeachment trial they shall be on Oath or Affirmation.”

The oath is separate from the one they take when they are sworn into office.  The Rule XXV oath reads:  “I solemnly swear or affirm that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of President Donald John Trump, now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws; So help me God.”

Every senator is required to commit to do impartial justice on pain of perjury.

Blackburn’s point should not be lost on anyone.

During yesterday’s Engrossment Ceremony, Nancy Pelosi said, “And so, with that, I will sign the Resolution transmitting the Articles of Impeachment to the Senate, which will be delivered by our Managers, of whom I’m very proud.  When they bring it over to set in motion a process on the Senate side—probably tomorrow, and I don’t know their schedule—but it may be as soon as tomorrow, and the Senators will take an oath of office.  They will take a special oath of office to do impartial justice according to the Constitution and the laws.  Let’s hope that they uphold that oath that they take tomorrow.”

Sen. Klobuchar has stated she’s likely to vote in favor of removing the President from office.  “I’ve said from the beginning, I see this as impeachable conduct.”

Sen. Sanders is perpetually bellicose with remarks like this one.  “And the truth is, Trump is not just a pathological liar, and it’s not just that he is running the most corrupt administration in the modern history of our country, or that he is a racist, sexist, a homophobe, a xenophobe and a religious bigot. But that’s only half the story. The other half of the story is that is that he is a total, 100 percent fraud.”  

Sen. Bennet, whose campaign is virtually non-existent and should drop out of the race, is quoted as saying, “Whatever our job is between now and next November, we have to do everything we can to defeat Donald Trump.”  Bennet has called the mounting evidence against the President “quite damning.”  “If the facts don’t change, I think that I’m likely to vote to convict.”

In a series of tweets, Sen. Warren opined, "After the Mueller report, Congress had a duty to begin impeachment. By failing to act, Congress is complicit in Trump's latest attempt to solicit foreign interference to aid him in US elections. Do your constitutional duty and impeach the president."

"A president is sitting in the Oval Office, right now, who continues to commit crimes.  He continues because he knows his Justice Department won't act and believes Congress won't either. Today's news confirmed he thinks he's above the law. If we do nothing, he'll be right."

Democrats are verklempt because Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell stated he would not be an impartial juror.

"Do you think Chuck Schumer is impartial? Do you think Elizabeth Warren is impartial? Bernie Sanders is impartial? So let's quit the charade. This is a political exercise," McConnell said last month. "All I'm asking of Schumer is that we treat Trump the same way we treated [President] Clinton." 

Of course, he will take the same special oath required of the other ninety-nine senators.

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