Editor's Note: Steve Schmidt is one of the founding members of the Lincoln Project. He is a communications and public affairs strategist who has worked on several Republican campaigns, including John McCain's 2008 bid for the White House, and he is now a regular political contributor to MSNBC. On Thursday, Schmidt reacted to an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal that falsely argued that an impeached former president could not be tried and convicted by the Senate. MaxNewsToday has assembled this six-tweet thread and reprinted it as one easy-to-read op-ed for our ongoing segment, Schmidt Storm. It has been edited for grammar and clarity. The below argument, written by Jeffrey Epstein’s pal Alan Dershowitz and endorsed by John Cornyn, is a red herring that reeks of disingenuousness. No one is seeking revenge or retribution against Donald Trump. The questions on the table are about justice and accountability. That is what the impeachment trial is about. Trump incited a mob to attack the United States Capitol to disrupt the constitutionally mandated certification of the election by the Congress. During that attack, the American flag was used as a weapon to bludgeon a Capitol Police Officer.
Six people were murdered by Trump’s mob. During the attack, the Capitol of the United States fell into the hands of fascists, conspiracy theorists, seditionists and white supremacists. They were acting at Trump’s urging. The U.S. flag was ripped down, and the Trump MAGA flag was hoisted. The Confederate battle flag finally breached the Capitol Rotunda, nearly 156 years after Robert E. Lee’s surrender to Ulysses S. Grant. All of this was built on the “Big Lie” about a stolen election that wasn’t. John Cornyn's colleagues Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley and Ron Johnson have blood on their hands for their involvement in fomenting insurrection and committing sedition against the people of the United States. Here is something that should unify all of us. Thirteen generations of Americans have made blood sacrifices to create, defend and expand American democracy. All Americans are trustees of that sacred inheritance. We are morally obligated to defend American democracy and preserve it for our posterity. That is why we must have justice. Let us unify around that concept in defense of our country and her highest ideals.