Trump’s Big Night: Impeachment, Followed by Insulting a Dead Congressman
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Trump has been impeached by the House of Representatives on two counts—abuse of power and obstruction—and while this is not a surprise, it’s worth remembering even in our bombed-out political haze that it is historic, and it does represent the consequences of blatantly breaking the rules. Yes, the Senate will do its partisan hackery act and let him off the hook, and yes, all your most alarmist friends will bleat about how this will backfire on Dems (note: it won’t), and yes, it’s all part of the circus now, but still…the man has been impeached.
And how did he deal with this reality? By tweeting, of course, and then by holding one of his most unhinged rallies yet in Michigan. The highlights of this performance are too numerous to acknowledge in their entirety (as usual, Aaron Ruper is a great resource for that), but it is worth highlighting his broadside against Debbie Dingel, the Democratic representative from Michigan who has held her husband John’s congressional seat since 2014. John Dingell was the longest-serving congressman in U.S. history, representing Michigan for 59 years. He passed away in 2019, and because Trump gave him an “A+” ceremony, he took issue with Debbie Dingell voting to impeach him. In the process of lambasting her, he implied that her husband might be in hell:
Trump laments that Debbie Dingell voted to impeach him despite the fact that he allowed the normal state funeral to proceed for her late husband, former Rep. John Dingell. Trump then suggests John Dingell is in hell — to audible groans. pic.twitter.com/wsYfddNIA9
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 19, 2019
Dingell’s response:
Mr. President, let’s set politics aside. My husband earned all his accolades after a lifetime of service. I’m preparing for the first holiday season without the man I love. You brought me down in a way you can never imagine and your hurtful words just made my healing much harder.
— Rep. Debbie Dingell (@RepDebDingell) December 19, 2019
And it Keeps. Getting. Worse.