Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The U.S. Senate is in session for the express purpose of trying Donald Trump after he was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives. There is one big difference this time, of course. Last year, he was President Trump. This go-’round he’s simply Citizen Trump. That fact notwithstanding, the Democratic leadership in the House decided it was still prudent to initiate Impeachment 2.0.

The basis for the latest indictment is that many felt Mr. Trump perpetrated “Incitement of Insurrection” to a crowd on January 6th to storm the Capitol building just as Congress was certifying the results of President Biden’s win in the November election. Others – defenders of the former President – say he is not responsible for the actions of the mob of thugs. “He told them to go home, for crying out loud,” kind of sums up their argument.

And then there’s the bigger issue that has already surfaced: The Senate can’t Constitutionally convict Trump since he’s out of office. Such logic fell on deaf ears in the Democratic-controlled House which is why We the People are again watching the Senators in action.

There are some who have said that acquittal is a foregone conclusion. That presumption is based a lot on the mathematical fact that it takes two/thirds of the Senate (67 out of 100 votes) to find the former President guilty, and 45 Republican Senators have already voted that it’s Constitutionally verboten.

But onward we go. Each senator will undoubtedly get his/her own moment in front of the cameras. Perhaps a whole lot of time could be saved if there were an agreement that the official Congressional Record report of the impeachment would reflect that each Democrat began his/her remarks by saying, “Trump was and is a scoundrel of the highest magnitude and he is solely responsible for the mayhem perpetrated on this very edifice last January 6th.” And each Republican’s remarks would all begin with, “You’re crazy. President Trump simply questioned the outcome of the November election, which the 1st Amendment allows him to do.”

If both sides agreed to those ground rules, the participants could get to the heart of the matter a lot faster. But that ain’t gonna happen. Whatever plays best to hometown audiences will win out. We’re bound to hear every possible synonym for crook (rogue, rascal, villain, rat, and cheat come to mind), ne’er-do-well (scalawag, slacker, shirker), wicked (dreadful, atrocious, appalling, awful, terrible, mean), and evil (depraved, immoral, heinous, nefarious, malicious) from the prosecution, and quite the opposite from the defense. The latter may lean on words such as smart (cool, canny, clever, shrewd, smooth), innovative (pioneer, original, inventive, novel), and brilliant (vivid, dazzling, magnificent, splendid, talented).

Despite the seriousness of the proceedings, there could be some lighthearted moments that occur. For example, the presiding officer of the trial is Vermont’s Patrick Leahy. He’s the President Pro Tempore, a Constitutional post usually filled by the senator from the majority party with the longest record of continuous service. He’s also 80 and may occasionally need to “rest his eyes” as my Dad used to say while reclining in his easy chair. The half-dozen or so other octogenarians in the chamber may also follow suit. (Fun fact: Leahy appeared in three Batman movies. No word yet on whether the caped crusader will make an appearance during the trial.)

Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, hardly a supporter of the former President, might wangle a ticket to the Gallery section of the Senate, where she could occasionally yell, “He’s a bum!” or other such epithets.

Congressman Eric Swalwell is one of the prosecutors from the House. When it comes time for a lunch break, some wag from the Republican side of the aisle may ask Swalwell if “he knows where we can get some good Chinese take-out.”

Kentucky Republican Rand Paul has made no secret of the fact he’s no fan of the whole proceedings. He may watch a little Wildcat basketball on his phone or invite everyone to his office for mint juleps at 5:00 every afternoon.

Whatever happens, we’re obviously witnessing history being made. And what’s not to like about a good Senate rhubarb? Oh, one other juicy tidbit. A Trump lead lawyer, David Schoen, was one of the final people to meet with the infamous convicted sex offender (and friend to the rich and powerful) Jeffrey Epstein. And according to reports, Schoen doesn’t think Epstein committed suicide. Chances are, that won’t come up in the former President’s trial, but who knows? These are Senators. They bloviate for a living. Anything could come out of their mouths.

©MMXXI. William J. Lewis, III – Freelance Writer