Letters to the Editor on Mitch McConnell and impeachment trial in the Senate
McConnell ‘appalls’
As a lifelong Kentucky Republican, one who has upheld the Constitution in public and private life, I am appalled that Sen. Mitch McConnell smirkingly chose to ignore his duty to proceed with the impeachment trial. Any fair trial needs witnesses and documents, not name-calling and bluster. The president is not above the law, and neither is he.
John Greenway, Lexington
Make the case, senators
As I understand how things work, in the impeachment process the House serves as a grand jury. The House, which represents the people (the Senate representing the states) indicted the president. They did not find him guilty. What’s more, there are a lot of questions about the validity of the information provided by witnesses and other evidence, e.g. the “transcripts” and motive.
So now there’s an opportunity to show the world how Republicans are indeed the rational “adults in the room”. Senators, including our own Mitch McConnell, are in the position to totally exonerate our president. They can bring in witnesses and provide testimony to demonstrate the president’s obvious innocence, lack of guile, dedication to his oath, and the rule of law, and bring an end to this foolishness. Bring on the acting chief of staff, the Office of Management and Budget staffers, and former National Security Advisor John Bolton, and let them testify under oath. Surely the truth will out. Or is that the problem? If Republicans do not provide a trial with witnesses who can defend the president, senators’ loyalty to both oaths are in question — the oath to “protect and defend” and their oath to act impartially as jurors.
George Muns, Richmond
McConnell the roadblock
Sen. Mitch McConnell is currently holding up Senate debate and vote on 300 bipartisan bills passed by the House, including bills on infrastructure, gun control, healthcare, election security, climate change, worker rights, miners’ pensions, and high medication and medical treatment costs.
Inaction on these bills is crippling this country. Infrastructure is crumbling. People are dying in high numbers from gun violence, opioid addiction, pollution and high cost of medication and medical treatment. All of this because McConnell won’t let the Senate debate or vote on bills addressing these problems. The impeachment process isn’t holding up ; McConnell is.
McConnell is abusing his power as Senate leader and undermining our democratic process. He is blocking senators from representing their electorate when he won’t let senators debate and vote on bills. He should let the Senate vote. If bills fail, at least it will be the will of the people not the will of Mitch McConnell.
Margaret Groves, Frankfort
Help. Please.
Mitch McConnell? Devin Nunes? Donald Trump? Andy Barr? Jim Jordan? Kellyanne Conway? Mike Pompeo? Steve Mnuchin? Stephen Miller? Brett Kavanaugh? Rudy Giuliani? Is this where we are? Is this what we’ve come to?
OMG. Heaven help us.
John Hamilton, Lexington
Look in the mirror
It must be a hard time now for Christians who still support President Donald Trump. Especially for Evangelicals, who at one time considered themselves the “Moral Majority”. Particularly hard if they have a mirror in your house and have to look at themselves. They find themselves supporting doubtless the most despicable human being ever to enter American public life in a major way. He is a multiple adulterer, cheater of businesses associates, pathological liar, creator of policies to harm children, and flagrantly godless person.
As their publication Christianity Today put it: “The president of the United States attempted to use his political power to coerce a foreign leader to harass and discredit one of the president’s political opponents. That is not only a violation of the Constitution; more importantly, it is profoundly immoral.”
If they don’t see the evidence that Christianity Today reports, it is because they are avoiding looking at it. So, they are confronted with a choice. Stay out of the room with the mirror or look in it and ask themselves the classic question: What would Jesus do?
Michael Kennedy, Lexington