Editor's Note: (Aisha Moodie-Mills, a CNN political commentator and former president and CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, was formerly a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus PAC. Follow her on Twitter @AishaMoodMills. The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the authors; view more opinion articles on CNN. )
(CNN) Republican lawyers did little Saturday to refute the case against Donald J. Trump laid out earlier this week by House managers, who deftly demonstrated that there is concrete evidence of wrongdoing. Democrats pulled out all of the key evidence, from official transcripts, to footage of the testimonies of key witnesses, to videos of Trump corroborating their arguments in his own words.
As it stands, the record shows that Trump abused his power, obstructed Congress and attempted to force a quid pro quo with Ukraine -- "this for that" as House managers argued. Senate Republicans are refusing to acknowledge the facts in front of them.
But the facts don't really matter here. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has insisted from the start that he has little interest in uncovering the truth. It is unlikely that this trial will actually result in Trump's removal.
The politics just don't pan out as few, if any, Republican senators, including those facing reelection, have an incentive to turn their backs on the President today.
The politics, however, may ultimately work in favor of the Democrats come Election Day. Over half of all Americans now support removing Trump from office.
The trend is clear: The more voters hear about the impeachment case, the more likely they are to agree that Trump is unfit for the job, so it's no wonder that McConnell is doing his best to silence witnesses and limit evidence.
House managers have meticulously articulated the myriad ways that Trump has defiled the office and their arguments should ensure that he is a one-term president.
Even if the Senate votes to acquit, the impeachment process has provided Democrats with a treasure trove of damning evidence to fuel the campaign against him and convince voters that he should be evicted from the White House in the November election.