For a time I wondered whether impeaching Donald Trump for a second time was the right step to take. After all, it would really give him more headlines at a time when most Americans want to hear less about him.

But it really is about him. It is about his incitement to riot that helped push dangerous, murderous mobs into the US Capitol on January 6. It is about his empowering those mobs to follow his deranged, baseless claims that he won the election, that the election was stolen from him. He pushed that lie time and again for nearly two months, and a lot of people believed him, came to Washington, and were spurred to commit crimes in his name.

We cannot forget that. We should not forget that. That’s why we need the second impeachment. We need to be reminded bluntly of just what Donald Trump did, and how his lies propelled the criminals at the Capitol.

There’s no reason – and not enough space here – to enumerate those charges against him, except to say that they point to his guilt, his incitement, his horrible lies.

Trump requires this second impeachment. And whether or not he is convicted – too many toady Republicans will likely see he won’t — the record, the truth, will be laid bare for everyone in coming generations to see. Trump is a criminal, and everything that can be done to make clear exactly why that is true must happen.

Convict him. But know that no matter what, he is convicted.