2020 started with a bang – sort of. Talk of a new virus was overwhelmed by the impeachment — trial? — of Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States. My own personal opinion is we also just didn’t believe the pandemic would affect us, after all we made it through Ebola and swine flu relatively unscathed, why would this be different? Well, it was different because we had to deal with Donald J. Trump, the 45th President of the United States.
I don’t know if you could call what happened a trial. There were no witnesses called, no evidence presented. And, the jury had already made up it’s mind that it was not going to convict. As a criminal defense attorney, I wish this happened more often. But, alas, if you say you won’t convict before the trial even starts, you’d get booted off the jury – and if you tell people that you CAN do this, you could get convicted yourself. But the rules are different depending on who you are, and if you are famous, they let you do it.
Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Saturday that he’s made up his mind that President Trump should be acquitted, dismissed the notion that he has to be a “fair juror” and said he doesn’t see the need for a formal trial in the Senate.“I am trying to give a pretty clear signal I have made up my mind. I’m not trying to pretend to be a fair juror here,” he added.
Washington Post, December 14, 2019
So, the year began with a flurry of activity , but ultimately not a thing was accomplished. I think they call this foreshadowing.