Mitch lied. The impeachment died.


Mitch lied to us.
Following the Jan. 6 insurrection, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) made it clear he thought then-President Donald Trump was responsible for the violence. The Trump-loving rioters "did this because they had been fed wild falsehoods by the most powerful man on Earth — because he was angry he'd lost an election," he said in an instantly famous speech at the end of Trump's second impeachment trial.
But, darn it, McConnell was just too principled to actually vote for Trump's conviction. It wasn't the constitutional thing to do, you see — Trump had already left office, which made the impeachment effort a dead letter.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
That, we now know definitively, was a load of horsepucky. A new book by a pair New York Times journalists reports McConnell cheered on the impeachment effort, only privately. "The Democrats are going to take care of the son of a b---h for us," he reportedly told advisers on Jan. 11, adding: "If this isn't impeachable, I don't know what is."
But McConnell reversed course when he realized that few GOP senators were on board with the effort. He slow-walked the impeachment process so that the trial would finish well after President Biden's inauguration and Trump's Jan. 20 departure from the White House — only to use that delay as his excuse for voting against conviction. "He didn't ascend to power by siding with the minority, [McConnell] explained to a friend," the Times reported.
The new revelations make clear McConnell actually thought impeaching Trump was the right thing to do, that actually he expected the Democrats to succeed, that he actually expected a substantial number of Republicans to join that effort — and that he undermined the overall effort when he realized it would mean the loss of his own power.
That famous impeachment speech? It was an attempt to have it both ways, to condemn the insurrection without having to take responsibility for imposing consequences. Worst of all, it was cynical in the extreme, invoking the Constitution to abet its destruction.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
That wasn't just craven. It was consequential.
An impeachment conviction would've cleared the way for Congress to bar Trump from ever running for president again. Instead, the former president is his party's front-runner for the 2024 nomination. Given Biden's low ratings, Trump might even win the presidency outright. If that happens — if the "SOB" actually takes power again — McConnell will bear a substantial share of the blame.
Joel Mathis is a writer with 30 years of newspaper and online journalism experience. His work also regularly appears in National Geographic and The Kansas City Star. His awards include best online commentary at the Online News Association and (twice) at the City and Regional Magazine Association.
-
September 13 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include court-approved racial profiling and America's moral compass
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashion
In the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Kim Jong Un’s triumph: the rise and rise of North Korea’s dictator
In the Spotlight North Korean leader has strengthened ties with Russia and China, and recently revealed his ‘respected child’ to the world
-
Graphic videos of Charlie Kirk’s death renew debate over online censorship
Talking Points Social media ‘promises unfiltered access, but without guarantees of truth and without protection from harm’
-
Calls for both calm and consequences follow Kirk killing
TALKING POINTS The suspected assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk has some public figures pleading for restraint, while others agitate for violent reprisals
-
Why does Donald Trump keep showing up at major sporting events?
Today's Big Question Trump has appeared at the Super Bowl, the Daytona 500 and other events
-
‘Democracy is under threat globally’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Former top FBI agents sue, claiming Trump purge
Speed Read The agents alleged they were targeted by a “campaign of retribution”
-
Why does Trump keep interfering in the NYC mayoral race?
Today's Big Question The president has seemingly taken an outsized interest in his hometown elections, but are his efforts to block Zohran Mamdani about political expediency or something deeper?
-
Judge lets Cook stay at Fed while appealing ouster
Speed Read Trump had attempted to fire Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud
-
Trump's drug war is now a real shooting war
Talking Points The Venezuela boat strike was 'not a mere law enforcement action'