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Could censure have replaced impeachment in Washington?
Summary
A look back at a 3 February 2020 proposal tied to pressure on Ukraine, and at a separate escalation in Idlib the same day.
Could a formal rebuke have stood in for removal from office? On 3 February 2020, during the impeachment trial of Donald Trump, Democratic Senator Joe Manchin asked his colleagues to consider censuring Trump as an alternative to impeachment. The case concerned Trump's efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate domestic political rivals. Manchin was considered friendly with the White House, which gave the suggestion added weight.
The same day, attention also turned to north-western Syria, part of an offensive that ran from December 2019 to March 2020. Syrian Army shelling in Idlib Governorate killed Turkish military personnel, and Turkish forces retaliated. A pro-opposition war monitor said the Turkish response killed 13 Syrian soldiers; Syria denied this.
Turkish President Erdoğan said the shelling killed five Turkish soldiers and three civilian personnel, and that nine others were injured. He said the Russians needed to stand aside. The Russian Ministry of Defence said Turkey had moved troops inside the de-escalation zone without notifying the Russian side.
Two separate stories, then, shared one date: a debate in the US Senate over how to answer pressure on Ukraine, and a sharpening exchange between Ankara and Moscow over Idlib.
