Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) lamented the fact that the then Republican-controlled Senate did not impeach Donald Trump when it had the chance.
Jayapal appeared on The Weekend on Saturday to express her regret that by not impeaching Trump, he is still able to run for office over three years later this November. He is currently up against incumbent President Joe Biden. The Weekend hosts had been discussing Trump’s criminal trial when Jayapal brought up his near impeachment in 2021.
“I go back to the responsibility of Congress here because had the Senate actually gone through with the impeachment of Donald Trump, we would not be in this situation. I remember Mitch McConnell giving a speech that sounded like he was going to vote for convicting, but he didn’t,” Jayapal said. “It really, it is the thing that worries me, upsets me the most about the situation that we are in is we have to have accountability work.”
At the time, McConnell was the Senate Majority leader and had endorsed Trump ahead of his 2020 loss. Still, he issued a speech that clarified, “criminal behavior will never dominate the United States Congress,” and went through with certifying the election for Biden. Later, McConnell claimed there wasn’t enough time for an impeachment trial against Trump before his presidential term ended. In a way, this protected Trump from the consequences of being an impeached politician, as they are barred from holding public office afterward.
“If there isn’t accountability for what Donald Trump did on many levels, on January 6, you know in this trial, in every possible way then that will send a message to Americans about what’s okay in this country,” Jayapal said.
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The Washington representative suggested Trump continues to “incite further violence” as he fights his various legal battles. While Trump has 88 felony charges against him filed by prosecutors across the nation, Trump’s trial on 34 felony counts over allegations of paying hush money to multiple women in 2018 is the only criminal trial that has the potential to issue a verdict before the 2024 elections.
Friday saw the final juror selected for this case. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Within the first three days of the trial’s jury selection, some $3 million in political donations came pouring in for the former president.
