As Trump goes on trial, so does the conscience of the Republican party

Can Republicans divorce themselves from a demagogue? The impeachment trial’s first day offers little hope

A lone figure in a blue suit slipped quietly into the front row of the US Senate public gallery just before 3.30pm on Tuesday and gazed down at his former colleagues.

Jeff Flake, the former Republican senator from Arizona, had returned to Washington to witness two trials. One was that of an impeached American president accused of strong-arming a foreign government for his own political ends. The other was a trial of the conscience of the Republican party.

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