It always seemed unlikely that Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Senate Republican leader, would vote to convict the disgraced ex-president who holds sway over most of his party.
But the justification McConnell offered when announcing his vote for acquittal Saturday was an act of political cynicism and a weaselly evasion of the main issue the Senate was asked to decide: whether Donald Trump bears responsibility for the sacking of the Capitol on Jan. 6.
McConnell has already said what he thinks about the facts: Trump is guilty of incitement, at least under a common-sense definition of the word.
For the usually sphinx-like McConnell, that was a moment of stunning clarity - as close to an act of courage as we've seen lately in a party whose members are alternately enthralled or terrified by Trump.
But McConnell then retreated, voting to spare Trump from being held accountable - not because he is innocent, but on narrow procedural grounds.
Even though Trump was impeached when he was president, McConnell argued, he cannot be put on trial after the end of his term.
Most legal scholars, conservatives and liberals alike, believe that argument is wrong.
The motive for McConnell's retreat is clear: He wants to give his Republican colleagues a cover story, a technical excuse to vote against impeachment so it doesn't come back to haunt them. Most Republican primary voters remain loyal to Trump, often fiercely so.
The evidence made it clear that Trump not only encouraged the mob; when they rampaged through the Capitol, he waited hours before telling them to go home.
The president's defenders want senators to judge Trump's guilt of incitement under the standard of criminal law, which requires showing that he knowingly and directly caused the riot.
But impeachment isn't a criminal proceeding. It's the process by which Congress can remove a high official who has violated his oath and disqualify him from holding office in the future.
The senators who voted to acquit need to say clearly whether they believe Trump incited the mob or not. McConnell said Trump was "practically and morally responsible" for the events of Jan. 6 but let him off on a technicality. Most other Republicans haven't even gone that far.
History will remember their votes as their judgments on Trump's words and actions - not as a decision about whether officials are exempt from impeachment trial for actions in their final month in power.
They should consider how their short-term political calculation may look years from now, including to voters in coming elections.
On Saturday, Trump claimed his acquittal as a victory and promised his followers that he will remain politically active. "Our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement to Make America Great Again has only just begun," he said.
In the months ahead, new evidence may emerge to show whether Trump connived directly with the extremists who assaulted the Capitol. As we heard Saturday, Trump seemed unconcerned that members of Congress were in mortal danger that day.
And if Trump survives all the investigations into his conduct, maintains his grip on the GOP and wins his party's presidential nomination in 2024, his loyalists in the Senate will bear responsibility - even though they may pretend it wasn't their doing.
McConnell, no fan of Trump, seems to be gambling that the former president will naturally fade away and that his hold on the Republican Party will weaken. He and the GOP have to hope they're right.
The Los Angeles Times