Letter to the editor: Common sense is biggest loser in impeachment

Near the beginning of President Trump’s impeachment trial, one of the House managers suggested that senators shouldn’t leave their common sense at the door. That message fell on the deaf ears of most Republicans.

Common sense would have dictated that jurors hear witnesses and see documents. Common sense would have Sens. Lindsey Graham and Mitch McConnell denied jury box seats, having declared their verdict before the trial began. Common sense would have had Chief Justice John Roberts lecturing the president’s defense team for continued lying about undeniable facts. Common sense would call into question the role and propriety of Trump’s chief counsel Pat Cipolline, who is said to be a firsthand witness to Trump’s wrongdoing.

Trump can be expected to claim that the trial exonerates him. Future revelations, certain to become known, will, I predict, prove otherwise. I look forward to Bob Woodward’s next book.

There are no winners, only losers , in this so-called trial. The Constitution, as now interpreted, has lost some of its authority. The U.S. Senate has lost any claim to be the world’s greatest deliberative body. The House has lost oversight of the executive branch of government. The American people have lost confidence in what constitutes a fair trial. But perhaps the biggest loser is common sense.

Glenn R. Plummer

Unity