WASHINGTON — The impeachment trial of Donald Trump will likely be short and almost certainly result in an acquittal. Yet Democrats still view it as an opportunity to not only repudiate the actions of the former president, but drive a larger wedge inside the Republican Party.
While some Democrats are eager to advance President Joe Biden’s agenda, others see next week’s high-profile Senate trial as an opening to force the GOP to reckon with Trump’s role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, an event Republican leaders desperately want to move past.
“I think there’s a false choice between accountability and progress,” said Ben Wikler, the chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party. “We can’t just sweep it under the rug now. Republicans are trying to change the subject.”
