Democrats tried to tell you鈥�
“I believe that the President has learned from this case. I believe that he will be more cautious in the future.” — Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the day before her “No” votes on impeachment聽
Susan Collins knew better.
But she voted to acquit President Trump, anyway.
She willingly displayed her blinders during a CBS interview, as her way of saying Trump hadn’t been completely blame-free when he dangled weapons for Ukraine in exchange for dirt on the Bidens.
But she didn’t find those indiscretions worthy of removing him from office, because his mere impeachment would serve as a “pretty big lesson.”
Hogwash.
Collins and the rest of her Republican enablers now know Trump is more unbound than ever.
Republicans had been warned by Democrats that Trump would see his escape from the snares of impeachment as a license to consolidate more power into his tiny little hands.
Democrats had repeatedly pointed to that fateful call with Ukraine’s president, which had taken place only a day after Robert Mueller had appeared before the House Intelligence Committee, and he signed off on his 448-page report.
Trump felt newfound freedom then. So, it was only logical that he would pound his chest after Republicans dutifully let him off the impeachment hook.
In a matter of hours, his Attorney General — Bill Barr — announced that his office would become a clearinghouse for any information uncovered by Trump’s personal attorney – Rudy Giuliani.
That’s just a way to further the phony investigation into his pollical adversary, Joe Biden.
That looks bad. Trump doesn’t care.
Next, Trump made sure that two of the people (Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman and Ambassador Gordon Sondland) who testified during the impeachment proceedings, were jettisoned from his administration.
Depending on which side of the political spectrum you reside, their firings could be fair, or unfair. But why, then, would he have summarily fired Vindman’s twin brother, Yevgeny?
Once again, that looks bad. And once again, Trump doesn’t care.
He now feels free to spread his vengeance in all directions.
All while he shows the world that his brush with expulsion hasn’t chastened him one bit.
So why not go after the people who prosecuted his buddy Roger Stone.
Stone was found guilty of seven serious felonies. (five counts of making false statements — including lying to Congress, one count of obstructing an official proceeding, and one count of witness tampering).
The jury had spoken. And so did the federal prosecutors who recommended that Stone be sent to prison for seven to nine years.
That set off a chain of events that serve as an example of Trump not learning anything from his recent impeachment experience. Not even to keep his hands off of his own Justice Department.
He’d become enraged by the prescribed sentence for the felonious fellow (Stone) he obviously admires.
And Trump’s gotta do what Trump always does when something doesn’t please him. He goes on attack on Twitter.
“This is a horrible and very unfair situation. The real crimes were on the other side, as nothing happens to them. Cannot allow this miscarriage of justice!” he wrote in the wee hours of the morning on February 11th.
It didn’t take long after that tweet, for the Justice Department decided to forego the original sentencing guideline and opt for what could be a much lighter sentence.
Despite Justice Department officials claiming they weren’t responding to Trump’s tweet about Stone’s prescribed sentence being a “miscarriage of justice,” Trump still congratulated his Attorney General, Bill Barr, for “taking charge of the case.”
All four of the prosecutors on the Stone case voluntarily withdrew from the case, with one, Jonathan Kravis, quitting the Justice Department altogether.
Some Republicans are now paying close attention to Trump’s post-impeachment shenanigans.
Susan Collins, for instance, says, “The president should not have gotten involved (in the Stone case).”
She should have been paying close attention to the Democrats who warned the country about this during the impeachment trial.
She wasn’t.
Now we’re all forced to become spectators to a man-child unleashed.
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter, and anchor for Entertainment Tonight and 20-year TV news veteran. E-mail him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.