(GNB Desk): Six Republican senators on Tuesday have voted that Trump’s impeachment is constitutional and to proceed.
Last month, when Republican Senator Rand Paul sought to throw out the impeachment process, arguing the chamber did not have the authority to proceed, only five of his GOP colleagues disagreed with him.
On Tuesday, as Trump’s trial in the Senate got underway and Democratic members of the House presented evidence against him, an additional Republican, Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, joined them to the list of Republicans who previously voted to support the impeachment trial proceedings of the former president. Cassidy and five of his Republican colleagues voted that the trial is constitutional on Tuesday.
“We heard arguments from both sides on the constitutionality of having a Senate trial of a president who has since left office,” Cassidy said. “A sufficient amount of evidence of constitutionality exists for the Senate to proceed with the trial. This vote is not a prejudgment on the final vote to convict.
“If anyone disagrees with my vote and would like an explanation, I ask them to listen to the arguments presented by the House Managers and former President Trump’s lawyers,” Cassidy added. “The House managers had much stronger constitutional arguments. The president’s team did not.”
The Republicans who agreed the Senate can try Trump are:
- Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La.
- Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine
- Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska
- Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah
- Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb.
- Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Penn.
Democrats need 67 votes to convict former President Donald Trump, and most observers believe they have little chance of getting even close to that many.
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