They simply didn’t have the sense of urgency required. They acted like Trump’s political career was over, and they could take their time to build a case.

They should have had a clue right away, though, when the Senate let Trump off the hook for his second impeachment. They could have formally ended Trump’s political ambitions, but didn’t. They made the political calculation that average voters have short memories, and as outraged as they all were on Jan 7 2021, they would forget 4 years later.

Of course, we run the risk this time that since, according to the rules, Trump can’t be on the ballot in 2028, we’ll make the same mistake and slow-walk it all. But Trump is planning on holding on to power past Jan 2029, and if he manages to, he won’t need rules (or votes) to do it.