You got that right!

No matter what we do or how we approach things there is always going to be the proverbial elephant in the room.

That is so true!

I agree that Trump is going to be facing a mountain of lawsuits. He probably will be in and out of court for the rest of his life.

There are plenty of them in legal jeopardy who believed he would pardon them. Their families need to sue.

I'm sure he'll be sued from all sides, hopefully some class action suits as well. Then there are the immigrant families who have been separated from their children at the border too. The possibilities are endless and he has enough enemies to keep a whole lot of lawyers very busy for a long time. And not just in the United States either.

Let's see how he likes being on the other side of it... and this time, he cannot hide behind lies and posturing. I will have a very large tub of butter ready once things settle a bit. They will be circling for a long time.

He is soon going to discover that he isn't quite the master of the universe that he thought he was and he won't have the mantle of the presidency to protect him anymore. Meanwhile, we all know Trump cannot tell the truth, so if he testifies on his own behalf he will only dig himself a deeper hole.

As the disillusionment continues to sink in, they're going to blame Trump.

is that they do not try this as a class action suit. They need to nail him one at a time. Make this thing drag into the 2030s. Keep that flim flam artist in court for decades!

They may not have the numbers for a class action, so individual cases would be pursued.

I'm with you - the more he has to deal with, the better. The downside is that he's likely hidden or protected most of the assets he has or they're mortgaged to the hilt, but for someone whose entire life has been based around suing others, tying him up for years of the same would be appropriate.

It was clearly bipartisan, historically so, and the intended message was clearly and efficiently sent to the target audience, the American people.

If your only possible definition of a win in this instance was a conviction, you were always going to be disappointed. Never had a chance. In context, 57 is actually pretty remarkable.

appalling. Sorry, that's what it feels like to a life-time Dem and family member and descendant of actual patriots.

It was always about Republicans protecting their jobs and protecting their own. It isn't even about Trump.

A conviction would have done nothing to hold him accountable from a legal perspective. I always found that expectation a little odd, because impeachment isn't a legal process; it's a political one. The penalties, especially in this case, were never going to be commensurate with the crimes committed. That's why he needs to be prosecuted.

vs. acquitted.

Expectations around here were *much* too high. The outcome was always a foregone conclusion. The only option that was ever going to realistically hold Trump accountable was prosecution in his post-presidency.

Frankly, I blame a lot of the left-leaning media in part for jacking up expectations. As much as I love Rachel Maddow, she consistently gave people false hope that there was a possibility that Trump would be convicted and every tiny development jacked up the optimism. She certainly wasn't the only one - it was a common theme on MSNBC anytime I watched, and I don't watch much at all. And they weren't the only source doing that.

It was an ever-present theme here as well, basically up to the time the vote was in. Up until yesterday, people were just certain that McConnell had convinced his caucus to convict. I get optimism, but unwarranted optimism leads to serious disappointment when it doesn't match reality in the end.

I find it humorous because it sarcastically encapsulates the situation perfectly.

I see no problem with mocking them for what they are. In this case, the jury made themselves the story.

co-opted by fascists, insurrectionists and the seditious scum.

We can hope this is true

An impartial jury would absolutely convict. That's probably coming.

I think it's pretty much everyone's hope. Hell, it's McConnell's hope.

Hearing one of his cases. All any lawyer would have to ask me is "Did you vote for T***p?" My truthful "No" would get me bounced immediately.

Broke and incarcerated will do just fine, thank you.

He could claim that investigations are politically-motivated, of course, but I don't think that's going to fly anymore with anyone but his diehards.

A 2-3 year long bi-partisan investigation into the Ukrainian efforts by Ghouliani, the calls to Putin, the insurrection support by Trump and elected R officials like McCarthy, Lindsey, Hawley and more.

Drag this out even after we have our DOJ charge Trump and bring him to trial. Run every single lead down to the granular level, make the R's scream to high heaven, and make the claim that we are "Benghazing" them juts like they did to Hillary Clinton except to will find him guilty unlike Clinton.

I'm pretty sure one is on the way. Pelosi said that there's bipartisan support in Congress.