Republican Oath Keepers

Every Senator has taken the following oath prior to sitting in judgment of the impeachment of Donald Trump:

“I solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case may be,) that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of , now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws: so help me God”

In spite of taking this oath may Senate Republicans seem intent as ever on acquitting Donald Trump over his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Democrats presented evidence that included dozens of Trump tweets and statements prior to the attack, some casting doubt on the 2020 presidential election results, some telling supporters to come to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6 and “fight like hell” to stop the Electoral College certification. And Democratic impeachment managers presented statements from the rioters themselves that, in the words of Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), showed they were “following the president’s orders.”  But none of that seemed to matter to GOP senators. Republicans spent breaks in between the presentations telling reporters that they were all ready to vote.  “I don’t think there’s anything that’s been said by either side that has changed any votes,” Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) told HuffPost.  Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who led the effort to contest the 2020 election in Congress, said he believed that holding a trial for a former president is unconstitutional ― a dubious view the Senate rejected in a bipartisan vote on Tuesday ― and that no evidence would convince him of Trump’s guilt.  “There’s nothing new here, for me, at the end of the day,” Hawley said. “I think that we don’t have jurisdiction as a court in order to pursue this, so nothing that I’ve seen changes my view on that, and if you don’t have jurisdiction, that’s just the end of the call. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told reporters Wednesday that he had talked to Trump the previous night, and he promised the former president that Republicans wouldn’t convict. “The case is over,” Graham told Trump.  If this were a normal criminal or civil rail and jury members made comments like the above there would be a mistrial.  Obviously Republicans, like Trump, feel there is no need to uphold an oath of office nor a need for a fair trial and a jury making a decision to convict or acquit solely on the allowed evidence, with no preconceived notions prior to hearing the evidence.  Republican Senators are just as guilty as Trump for allowing him to commit flagrant crimes.