It was hardly surprising to see the Senate acquit former President Donald Trump despite the overwhelming evidence presented against him at his brief impeachment trial. But our senators Susan Collins and Angus King deserve credit for listening to the strong accounts presented and voting to convict on the charge of inciting the January 6 assault on the capitol.
But those who were most affected by the riots didn’t have a seat at the table when an article of impeachment came before the House or the Senate.
Washington, D.C.—the site of five deaths in the insurrection and two more deaths by suicide of police officers who defended the Capitol in the days following—has no voting representation in the U.S. House or Senate. One hundred and forty Capitol Police and D.C. Police Officers were injured in the attack. Many of them live in D.C., so they have no one speaking for them in the Congress that they risked their lives to protect.