The gatekeepers of democracy: Lessons from the acquittal of President Trump

Prior to his electoral victory, Donald Trump notably declared: “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters.” Four years and one impeachment later, this statement has never seemed more true. Facing charges of abuse of power and obstruction of justice, Trump was acquitted by the Senate, resulting in what the White House called his “full vindication and exoneration.” Furthermore, Gallup polls show the President’s approval rating at 49 per cent, his highest yet. While no shots were fired on Fifth Avenue, the reverberations of the impeachment proceedings will be felt across the United States.

The impeachment charges followed whistleblower reports that described a controversy of constitution-breaching proportions during a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump allegedly threatened to withhold significant security aid from Ukraine unless Zelensky investigated Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Charges of obstruction of justice stemmed from the President’s instruction of White House Staff to “defy congressional subpoenas” issued to investigate allegations of misconduct.

Impeachment is incredibly rare, occurring only three times in U.S. history. Yet, the impeachment trial of Donald Trump was rarer still: it was conducted in record time and without witnesses as Senate Republicans voted to block the admission of additional witnesses and evidence during the Senate trial. Thus, relevant testimony went unconsidered and senators voted with incomplete information, cementing what Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer described as “a giant asterisk next to the President’s acquittal.” While the trial failed to achieve bipartisan consensus, it made undeniably clear the hyper-partisan and broken nature of American democracy.

Democrats and Republicans painted vastly different pictures of the impeachment proceedings. Republicans expressed concern over the potential for intense backlash should the President be impeached. Republican Senator Marco Rubio claimed that “just because actions meet a standard of impeachment does not mean it is in the best interest of the country to remove a President from office,” lest an already divided nation crumbles further. Democrats similarly depicted a grave scenario of division as impeachment votes stuck firmly to party lines and senators voted without full consideration of all available evidence. In view of the lack of bipartisan support for impeachment, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries stated that “[Democrats] could not afford to stand on the sidelines,”remove Trump from office. The hyper-partisan voting results in the impeachment trial also led Senator Elizabeth Warren to claim that Trump’s acquittal “scissors the impeachment clause out of the constitution.” Democrats also feared acquittal would embolden the President to move forward unrestrained by the legislative branch. 

President Trump described the proceedings as “horrendous,” labeling Democrats as “corrupt”, “vicious”, and “dishonest.” The President also condemned the impeachment as a “hoax” and something that “should never, ever happen to another President ever.” Democrats’ fear of an emboldened Trump seems to have materialized, as those who testified against him during proceedings in the House – Ambassador to the E.U. Gordon Sondland and Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman – were branded “disloyal to the United States” and removed from their positions. Trump went as far to dismiss Vindman’s twin brother, Lieutenant Colonel Yevgeny Vindman, from his post at the National Security Council even though he took no part in the proceedings. Restraints on Trump appeared to further dissolve as doubt was cast on the independent nature of the Justice Department following the reduction of the federal sentencing for the President’s former adviser Roger Stone      and the subsequent resignation of the prosecutors involved. 

The delegitimization of congressional procedures and checks on presidential power, the erosion of long-standing political norms, and intensified party are cause for concern about the current state of American democracy, and its potential deterioration. Long considered as the gatekeepers of democracy, political parties were traditionally seen as having the responsibility to ensure the maintenance of democratic governance rather putting their interests ahead of the country’s. In this respect, American constituents have been sorely disappointed –  even disregarded – by their elected officials.

Yet, there is hope to be found in an additional anomaly of the Trump impeachment: Senator Mitt Romney’s vote to convict him. The lone senator to break party lines, Romney delivered an impassioned speech explaining his decision, denouncing the President’s actions as “a flagrant assault on our electoral rights, our national security and our fundamental values.” In a time of hyperpolarization, Romney did what he believed would put country before party, and national interest before personal gain. In doing so, he reminded the country of the standard to which it once held itself.

American democracy needs a champion, and a lone senator will not suffice. Given wavering party commitment to democratic values, the onus has never fallen more squarely on the American people to set their nation back on a democratic course. The upcoming presidential election in November presents the perfect opportunity to do just that. 

Isabel Jones

Isabel is a first year Master of Global Affairs student at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. She holds an Honours Bachelor’s in International Relations with minors in Political Science and Rhetoric from Miami University of Ohio. While studying abroad in Luxembourg, Isabel conducted research on rising anti-EU and populist sentiments across Europe which sparked an interest in further research on far-right and extremist movements. This led Isabel to present an original research paper on the role of women in extremist organizations and the power of disinformation in stoking ideological divisions at the University of St Andrews Handa CSTPV Graduate Conference. Isabel is looking forward to further investigating issues of global security, human rights, and migration.

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