John Cornyn says “former Democratic presidents” could be indicted if the Senate pushes Donald Trump’s trial forward.
One of the most influential Republicans in the United States Senate has warned that “ex-Democratic presidents” could be charged if the Senate instigated impeachment proceedings against former President Donald Trump.
Trump was charged in the US House of Representatives this month with “inciting insurrection” after some of his supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6 as Congress met to confirm President Joe Biden’s election victory.
While some Republicans in the Senate, where impeachment proceedings are due to begin in February, have criticized Trump’s actions, some say they refuse to proceed after Trump leaves office.
“If prosecuting and bringing former presidents to justice is a good idea, what about former Democratic presidents if Republicans get a majority in 2022?” John Cornyn, a 19-year-old Senate veteran, said in a tweet to Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer on Saturday.
“Think about it and let’s do what’s best for the country,” wrote Cornyn.
No, unanimous approval is required. But you already knew that. By the way, if indicting and bringing former presidents to justice is a good idea, what about former Democratic presidents when Republicans get a majority in 2022? Think about it and let’s do what is best for the country. https://t.co/cCkumapbWY
– Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) January 23, 2021
Trump is the first president in US history to be tried twice and the first to be tried after leaving office.
Some scholars have argued that conducting impeachment proceedings after a president has left office is unconstitutional, while others say it is permissible as long as the process begins before a president has stepped down.
More controversial is the question of whether impeachment proceedings could be initiated after a president has left office.
Cornyn’s testimony comes as federal authorities continue to arrest people involved in the January 6 riot that killed five people.
Senate top Republican Mitch McConnell has put the blame for the violence at Trump’s feet and said the mob was “provoked” and “lied” by the former president.
In another possible complication of Trump’s case, at least five people arrested in the riot suggested taking orders from Trump as they stormed the Capitol, The Associated Press reported Saturday.
“I feel like I’ve basically followed my president. I followed what we were called to do. He asked us to fly there. He asked us to be there, ”Jenna Ryan, a Texas real estate agent who posted a photo of herself on Twitter with a peace sign next to a broken Capitol window, told a Dallas-Fort Worth television station.
Supporters of US President Donald Trump stand at the door to the Senate chambers after breaking through the US Capitol [Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA]Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported Saturday that federal law enforcement agencies are privately debating not to indict some of the rioters in hopes of preventing a spate of cases from flooding the local courthouse.
While the discussions are in the early stages, some federal officials have suggested that those in the group of about 800 people who entered the Capitol should not indict but beyond that they did not commit crimes such as vandalism or violence, the newspaper reported.
The Justice Department, which has already implicated more than 135 people in the incident, has publicly pledged to persistently identify and arrest anyone who stormed the building.
On Friday, federal officials arrested Texas-based Garrett Miller, aged 34, for storming the Capitol and posting threatening tweets, including one that read “Assassination AOC,” a reference to Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
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