Forty-five Republicans voted against former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial over his remarks at the U.S. Capitol, pointing out it would be unconstitutional for a former president to be impeached.
Republicans Say Trump Impeachment Trial is Unconstitutional
All but five Republican senators sided with an effort proposed by Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), sending a signal that there are inadequate votes to convict the former president.
On Tuesday, United States senators were inducted for Trump's impeachment trial -- the only president to have been impeached by the House of Representatives twice, and the first president to undergo a trial following leaving the office.
Senator Paul eventually attempted to halt Trump's upcoming trial on the argument that it is "unconstitutional" because Trump is no longer in office.
According to Paul, "Article 2, section 4 of the constitution says, the president, vice president and all civil officers of the United States shall be removed from office on impeachment for and conviction of treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors... As of noon last Wednesday, Donald Trump holds none of the positions listed in the constitution. He is a private citizen," reported Yahoo News.
Despite the Republican senators not succeeding in ending the impeachment trial before it commenced, the test vote made it apparent that the former president still has enormous power over his party. Several Republicans had denounced his role in the siege -- before which he prompted his supporters to "fight like hell" to overturn President Joe Biden's certification of victory. But the majority of them have rushed to come to his defense in the trial.
Also Read: Trump Gives First Remarks Since Leaving Office Prior to Impeachment Trial
This result confirmed that Democrats would find it difficult to persuade 17 Republican senators, which is the number required for the mandatory two-thirds majority to vote to convict Trump.
The motion failed after all 50 Democrats, and merely five Republican senators did not support efforts to throw out the case before the trial. It signals that Trump has adequate votes to secure an acquittal.
The vote was 55-45 in favor of proceeding with an impeachment trial. The five Republicans joined all 50 Democrats.
According to sources familiar with the deliberations, House impeachment managers are preparing a case to display the U.S. Capitol violence's tangible evidence and how Trump's words and actions prompted the rioters to breach the building.
There remain key questions for the House to deliberate before the February trial. They have yet to make a final decision, for instance, if they will call witnesses.
According to spokesperson David Carle, the trial's presiding officer Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., was hospitalized for observation after not feeling well at his office.
The 80-year-old senator was assessed by the U.S. Capitol's attending physician, who advised him to be admitted to the hospital due to an abundance of vigilance, reported AP News.
The five GOP senators who voted not to dismiss the former president's impeachment suit were Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, and Mitt Romney of Utah, reported The Epoch Times.
