In a recent letter to the editor, a writer seemed perplexed as to why former President Donald Trump wasn’t convicted and impeached.

To answer that question let’s actually look at what impeachment is. The United States Senate’s webpage defines the impeachment process as “Congress charging and then trying an official of the federal government for treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.” The Senate took up the articles of impeachment Feb. 9. Donald Trump wasn’t in office, so there would be nothing to impeach him from. A more appropriate avenue would have been censuring him. The Senate rightly didn’t convict Donald Trump, following what the law lays out what impeachment is. If he was impeached, then following that standard all 18 slave-owning former presidents should be impeached. It’s safe to assume the “woke crowd” would find an impeachable offense for all former presidents, at minimum the Republican ones.

Furthermore, the Constitution requires the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court preside over an impeachment trial for the president. Justice John Roberts refused. He knew as a lawyer the impeachment was unconstitutional. Did another impartial federal judge replace him? No, Sen. Patrick Leahy would play the role as judge and jury. Again, unconstitutional.

We are now left with a $2 million bill for an unconstitutional impeachment trial with a known outcome. That money could have been better used in COVID-19 relief.