Yesterday evening, the US House of Representatives voted in favor of two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. The articles of impeachment charge Trump with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, in relation to his withholding crucial military aid from Ukraine to pressure the country for personal favors.

Despite a mountain of evidence, not a single registered Republican in the House had the backbone to put country over party. There’s little hope we’ll see better from the Senate, where a 67 senator supermajority would need to vote to remove Trump from office, and Republicans hold control. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has stated outright that he’s “not an impartial juror”, despite the fact that he must soon swear an oath to be impartial. It is likely Trump will be acquitted in 2020, and this nightmare will continue for at least one more year.

Nevertheless, this impeachment is important. Regardless of the outcome in the Senate, these articles of impeachment signal that illegal and unconscionable behavior by officials is dangerous for the perpetrator, and unacceptable to the system. I hope to be pleasantly surprised by a Senate that does what it clearly ought to do, but I doubt very highly that that’s what will happen. Still, at the very least, Donald Trump can now forever be referred to as “Impeached President Donald Trump”. It’s not nothing.