As the Democratic-controlled House prepares to vote to impeach President Donald Trump on Wednesday for his incitement of rioters that stormed the US Capitol last week, Republican elected officials and talking heads are rolling out a fascinatingly ridiculous argument for why they oppose the move.
“As President @realDonaldTrump stated last night, it is time to heal and move on,” tweeted South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham (R). “If Speaker Pelosi pushes impeachment in the last days of the Trump presidency it will do more harm than good.”
Repubblicano del Texas. Kevin Brady (R) put it this way: “Those calling for impeachment or invoking the 25th Amendment in response to President Trump’s rhetoric this week are themselves engaging in intemperate and inflammatory language and calling for action that is equally irresponsible and could well incite further violence.”
Then there was this from Brian Kilmeade, co-anchor of “Volpe & Amici” on Fox News Tuesday morning: “We see what’s happening around this country, Come 50 state houses are being threatened on Inauguration Day, this is the last thing you want to do,” Egli ha detto.
Even Trump got in on the act before leaving for the Texas border on Tuesday. “This impeachment is causing tremendous anger,” Egli ha detto. “I think it’s causing tremendous danger to this country. … I want no violence.”
Così, let’s walk through this logic, shall we? No punitive action should be taken against the President who told a mob of his supporters that “we fight like hell and if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore” perché, if that action is taken, it could lead to violence?
Er, che cosa? Just in case anyone forgot, we already had a mob overrun the US Capitol — incited by the President. That happened six days ago.
To do what the likes of Graham, Brady and Kilmeade is, quite simply, to let mob rule win. We can’t act to punish the President, who clearly egged on the rioters, because it could lead to more riots!
Tell me how that differs from arguing after September 11 that we had better not seek to punish those responsible for the bombings because it might further incite them and lead to more bombings? Or how we had better not strike back after Pearl Harbor because it could lead to further attacks on the United States?
Destra. You get it.
You can disagree with the strategy of impeaching the President with only eight days (and counting) left in his term. That’s a fine debate to have. But you non può in good conscience argue that impeachment shouldn’t happen because it could trigger a violent reaction from Trump’s supporters.
That already happened, persone! Did you miss the people marauding through the Capitol last week? And celebrating both during and afterward?
We are already through the looking glass. Impeaching this President is not the match that will light this fire. It is already burning in the country — thanks to the President of the United States pouring lighter fluid of the combustible combination of grievance, victimhood and plain old racism over the past four years.
In breve: Give me a damn break.
