Cedar Rapids Gazette Editorial Board: “Grassley and Ernst Need to Take Impeachment Seriously”
Today, a second major Iowa editorial board took Senator Joni Ernst to task for brushing off her oath to Iowans by advancing Mitch McConnell’s partisan cover-up to block a fair and impartial process. The Cedar Rapids Gazette’s scathing editorial follows yesterday’s from the Des Moines Register, which blasted the third-most unpopular senator in the country for her “comments [that] betray an open mind.”
The latest wave of criticism at home and across the country comes after Ernst revealed herself as the “ultimate D.C. insider” – going where no other senator would by admitting she’s more focused on scoring political points than upholding her duty to Iowa.
Cedar Rapids Gazette Editorial Board: Grassley and Ernst need to take impeachment seriously
January 29, 2020
-
This entire impeachment process is about whether the president held up aid to the Ukraine in order to have Joe Biden, his political rival, investigated. And now, Sen. Ernst is standing before the world laughing over the prospect that the net result of all of this will be negative for Joe Biden, the president’s political rival.
-
Ernst’s comments are inappropriate. Senators are supposed to be serving as impartial jurors in this impeachment trial and it’s clear, Ernst is not taking her constitutional duty seriously. Neither of Iowa’s senators have tried very hard to be impartial. Both have made comments about impeachment that show they’ve pre-judged the proceedings.
-
But what Ernst’s comments also reveal is how seriously the Republicans are taking these accusations: Not very.
-
Ernst’s comments reveal the depth of political cynicism held by the GOP.
-
Our Iowa senators have one job in this impeachment process: to do their jobs as impartial jurors. We urge them to actually do that.
-
Ernst should join the call for allowing witnesses and evidence into the impeachment proceedings. If it becomes necessary they should vote for subpoenas and then do the work to enforce those subpoenas.
-
Despite the outcome of the impeachment, our senators need to remember to do their very best to ensure it’s a fair and impartial proceeding.
###