And the verdict is …”Guilty.”

No, not President Trump, whose acquittal is a foregone conclusion.

No, the guilty verdict is rendered upon the 49 U.S. senators who decided that keeping their jobs is more important than honoring a fair and thorough process of investigation. The senators who lied when taking the oath to conduct an impartial and objective review of the impeachment charges and supporting facts. A Senate that holds itself out as an “august body” when, through its decisions and actions, it demonstrates only individual and collective self-interest, rather than honest service to the people whom the senators represent (and are employed by).

This impeachment, only the third in the nation’s history, should have been conducted with all the seriousness and solemnity it justly deserved; instead, if this “trial” had occurred in the real world, it would be acknowledged for what it was – a kangaroo court.

The senators, in their hubris, may want to believe that we (“the people”) are not paying attention; that we don’t care; that by November, we certainly won’t remember, and that we will passively act the “April Fool.” But they are so wrong. To the senators, I say, “We will see you in November.”

Carl Toney

Scarborough