Could censure have replaced impeachment over Ukraine pressure?
A retrospective on a Senate proposal floated on 3 February 2020 and the day's other crisis, in Idlib.
What did a Democratic senator propose as an alternative to removing a president? On 4 February 2020, the question was still live in Washington, a day after Senator Joe Manchin asked colleagues during the impeachment trial of Donald Trump to consider censure instead of impeachment. The trial concerned Trump's efforts to pressure Ukraine to investigate domestic political rivals. Manchin was considered friendly with the White House.
The proposal, made on 3 February 2020, put Kyiv at the centre of an argument about how far Congress should go in punishing the pressure campaign.
A second crisis, nearby
On the same day, 3 February 2020, fighting in north-western Syria sharpened. Syrian Army shelling killed Turkish military personnel in Idlib Governorate, and Turkish forces retaliated. A pro-opposition war monitor said the retaliation killed 13 Syrian soldiers; Syria denied this.
Turkish President Erdoğan said the shelling killed five Turkish soldiers and three civilian personnel, with nine others injured, and that 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.
