Even as the evidence corroborating President Donald Trump's corrupt dealings in Ukraine continues to pile up, it remains a near certainty that the Republican dominated Senate will acquit him at the end of his impeachment trial.
It remains to be seen, however, if at least four Republicans will break with the party and vote to hear additional witnesses.
Now, a speechwriter for former President George W. Bush is predicting what will happen if the Senate vindicates Trump—and it's not pretty.
Michael Gerson wrote in a recent column for The Washington Post:
"The president never views a near-miss as an opportunity for reflection and reformation. He sees it as permission to indulge his every urge, and his most consistent urge has been to seek unfair advantage in the upcoming presidential election. The months between Senate acquittal and the November vote will be fertile ground for further cheating."
Gerson's prediction that Trump will engage in further attempts to meddle with the 2020 election is far from baseless.
The President's now-infamous July 25 call, in which he urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden, occurred only one day after Robert Mueller testified before Congress that he didn't have enough evidence to charge Donald Trump for conspiring with Russia to influence the 2016 election.
Democratic House impeachment managers, while making their case to the Senate, have cited this in warning that Trump will continue to corrupt the Democratic process if he's not held accountable, with chief impeachment manager Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) saying:
"If we don't stand up to this peril today, we will write the history of our decline with our own hand."
With Republicans standing firm beside Trump, Gerson says in his column that there's only one road to accountability left:
"Trump avoided accountability after the Mueller probe. He is likely to avoid accountability for the Ukraine squeeze. That leaves one last source of accountability — the election in November. This will be a test, not of the Republican Party, but of the republic."
People agree with Gerson that Trump will only get worse if not held accountable.
A massive voter turnout in 2020 is vital to make Trump a one term President. You can register to vote here.
For further discussion about American democracy and election interference, listen to season two of Oh Myyy Pod.