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.
UPDATE: Welcome readers of Pirate’s
Cove. We thank the Admiral for the
linky-love.
