Why Republicans should drag out Trump's Senate trial

Give Democrats what they asked for

An hourglass.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Getty Images, iStock)

If Nancy Pelosi's recent comments are any indication, it is likely that President Trump will be impeached by the House of Representatives before the end of the month. We all know what is going to happen next: his impeachment will be taken up by the GOP Senate and the president will be acquitted.

What we don't know at the moment is when exactly the second part is going to happen. After enduring months of self-important pontificating and procedural skullduggery at the hands of their Democratic colleagues, House Republicans want payback. This would involve, among other things, subpoenaing the phone records of Adam Schiff, the Democratic intelligence committee chairman whose handling of the complaint from the so-called "whistleblower" looks very much like a coordinated media stunt. It would also mean forcing both Joe and Hunter Biden to testify and subjecting thousands of journalists to endless hours of bloviation from pro-Trump witnesses. This festival of innocence could easily go on for two or three months before the inevitable verdict is announced.

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Matthew Walther

Matthew Walther is a national correspondent at The Week. His work has also appeared in First Things, The Spectator of London, The Catholic Herald, National Review, and other publications. He is currently writing a biography of the Rev. Montague Summers. He is also a Robert Novak Journalism Fellow.