McConnell is still attacking Democrats over impeachment on the Senate floor

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) took to the Senate floor Thursday to deliver an 11-minute speech attacking Democrats for the impeachment of Donald Trump, charging Democrats with destroying institutions like the House, the Senate, and the U.S. Constitution.

McConnell — who has criticized Democrats from dragging out impeachment — made the speech more than a week after the Senate voted to acquit Trump on the two articles of impeachment he faced: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

And he patted himself and Senate Republicans on the back for that acquittal.

“The Senate did its job,” McConnell said. “We protected the long-term future of our republic. We kept the temporary fires of factionalism from burning through to the bedrock of our institutions. We acted as Madison wished, as an impediment against improper acts.”

McConnell’s comments saying Democrats were the ones breaking precedent and ignoring the Constitution came as Donald Trump appears to be intervening in the work of the Department of Justice — the law enforcement agency of the United States that’s supposed to act independently of the presidency.

The Department of Justice abruptly about-faced on a sentencing guideline for Roger Stone — the Trump ally who was convicted on seven counts of obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and lying to Congress — after Trump publicly called the sentencing guideline “unfair.” Prosecutors alleged in their case that Stone interfered in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation in order to protect Trump.

The DOJ’s abrupt reversal on the Stone sentencing position after Trump’s comment led the four lead prosecutors on the case to resign in protest.

However, McConnell has been silent on the issue, refusing to say whether Trump and his attorney general William Barr were acting improperly in their meddling in the Stone case.

“I do not have an opinion on that,” McConnell told reporters of the Trump interference with the DOJ.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.