Will the Senate seal the White House whitewash?

[mia]

The Senate’s coming test

Donald Trump’s acquittal is certain; how the constitutional system survives it is not

If facts and evidence still matter in American governance, the Senate will have no alternative but to take up the latest revelations of Donald Trump’s Ukrainian influence scheme when his impeachment trial begins next week. On the face of it, the clutch of notes and text messages released by House Democrats on January 14th appear to be as incriminating as anything levelled at Mr Trump’s presidency to date.

Stripped from an iPhone belonging to Lev Parnas, a Ukrainian-born businessman and Republican donor who has been indicted for political corruption, they suggest Mr Trump was thickly involved in the plot hatched by his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, to shake down Ukraine’s newly elected government for political favours. In a letter sent last year to President Volodymyr Zelensky, requesting a meeting, Mr Giuliani stressed that Mr Trump had “knowledge and consent” regarding his activities in Ukraine. He also emphasised that he represented Mr Trump’s personal interests—“as a private citizen, not as president of the United States”. And in interviews on January 15th, Mr Parnas said the president was fully aware of his efforts in Ukraine....

https://www.economist.com/united-states/2020/01/16/the-senates-coming-test

[Sherman A1]

1. Yes