I have not posted a blog in quite some time. I have chosen to concentrate on the video content to grow my brand. However, I believe that this topic is best served by putting it into print. I do not claim to be a political historian or law student. I do, however, try to understand and keep up with the political landscape in this country.
Unless one has been living under a rock, we all know the events of January 6, 2021. On this date, armed insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capital and tried to find former Vice President Mike Pence, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and other congress members. They intended to Stop the Steal. Â These riotous persons believe that the Presidential election of Nov 2020 was being stolen from them by nefarious Democrats. These people thought that the only way Democrats can win an election was by stealing. Where did these people develop the idea that the election, their vote, and ultimately their country was being stolen? From their dear leader, Donald Trump.
After the Capital’s storming, in which a police officer and U.S. citizens lost their lives, many were arrested and are awaiting trial. The House of Representatives did their due diligence by conducting an investigation. That investigation laid the blame for the attempted coup where it belongs at the former President’s hands. As per the Constitution, the House turned over their investigation or Article of Impeachment to the Senate for trial. The Senate ultimately found the former President not guilty of creating or inciting the acts of treason.
I like so many other Americans, am not in the least bit surprised that the Senate did not find him guilty. The bifurcation along party lines in this country is very real and very disturbing. I am, however, surprised by the rationale laid out by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. He reasoned that Congress did not have the power to convict someone who was not serving as President. The House managerial and prosecuting team dealt with that argument. The majority of Republican senators didn’t buy their House’s argument. I will leave it up to the legal scholars and news talking heads to sort out the legal opinions.
However, I want to compare their words and actions to something many police departments and state legislatures do. In Connecticut, an officer who resigns or retires while under investigation for wrongdoing cannot be hired by another. This prevents terrible officers from engaging in misconduct and then bringing their awful actions and reputations to another municipality.
This law does not apply to any officer who the investigating agency has exonerated. The investigation must continue after the officer resigns or retires. Simply resigning to avoid the inquiry would lead to many officers inflicting their mischief in other communities. In other words, no longer being employed by the agency does not stop the investigation and does not prohibit the investigators from doing their jobs. Nor does it stop the consequences of their actions. There are and must be consequences to prevent harmful conduct toward citizens. An officer’s repercussions of harmful actions are that they are barred from entering into law enforcement again.
If these measures are taken for police officers, why are they not for politicians, particularly the former President of the United States? On a more local level, citizens and legislatures see the need to bar former officers from engaging in the same or different egregious acts which got them fired or caused their resignations. Some of the Republican Senators should speak with some of the CT. Lawmakers. If we, in CT., have the wisdom to condemn and prohibit police officers from continuing their reign of terror on citizens, why does the U.S. Senate, (Republicans) not have the same bar for their dear leader? If Mitch McConnell can say on numerous occasions that Trump instigated the riots and sedition to the Capital, why can’t they hold them accountable? Maybe those Republican Senators should have closed their eyes and pretended that they were sitting at the impeachment trial of a Democrat.