Mitch McConnell is the master of plausible deniability. He has supported Trump, worked with Trump, defended Trump during his reign. Now, Trump, the loose cannon, has gone too far – he wants to be King. He can’t accept he lost. He has incited an insurrection, has singlehandedly lost the Georgia senate races and lost Mitch his Senate majority post.

So, what does calculating Mitch do? First, he has his wife resign from the Cabinet so she did not have to vote if the 25th Amendment was brought to the table. Second, an aide, not Mitch, leaks that Mitch believes the President has committed an impeachable act and that he will not stand in the way of a Senate Trial if impeached by the House. Third, Mitch gauged the reaction to his leak. He was most interested in how the mega donors would react. The preliminary reaction of the mega donors was obviously favorable, because on January 19, 2021, Mitch announced on the Senate Floor that Trump had incited the Capitol riot based upon lies.

If big money and mega donors are in favor of putting Trump out of the Republican party forever, that is the way Mitch will go. If they are against this, he will show his skill at obstructionism and claim that the conviction would only incite violence and result in the nation’s inability to heal and come together. Now, on January 20, 2021, Mitch asked for the impeachment trial to be delayed, playing for the Trump base of supporters. Delay helps Trump, Cruz, and their group to argue that he’s out of office... let it go.

In reality, either way, the nation will not heal rapidly. When you have a metastasizing cancer, there is no question. It has to be removed NOW. If the mob that carried out Trump’s call to arms are being prosecuted in the federal courts, how does minority Mitch reconcile that with not convicting Trump? He stood by Trump until the insurrection that threatened the foundation of our democratic system. Then, he was told by the mega donor billionaires and the Citizens United corporate entities that Trump needed to be impeached or the money flowing to the super pacs will cease as they want Trump out.

Mitch should not and will not be influenced by any actions of the Kentucky Republican Party as they are not a real force to be reckoned with on a national scale or in his world. Hopefully, Mitch will vote to convict Trump and encourage his fellow Republican Senators to vote with him because it is the right thing to do. He should also consider sanctions, removal, censure of those now disgruntled Senators who voted to destroy our Constitution.

However, we know Mitch. Mitch will follow the money. It just depends on what the mega donors say and do.

 

- David O. Smith