Senate votes Trump’s impeachment trial as constitutional

Washington [US], February 10 (ANI): A majority of US senators on Tuesday said the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump is constitutional, despite calls from some Republicans to dismiss proceedings, reported CNN.
A simple majority was needed to determine the constitutional validity of the trial. The question was passed 56-44.
Six GOP senators voted with Democrats, establishing that the impeachment trial is constitutional. One of them, Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, was the only GOP senator to change his vote on the constitutionality of Trump’s impeachment.
Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the lead impeachment manager, opened his presentation with a video showing disturbing footage of how protesters overran police and ransacked the Capitol, CNN reported.
The video was spliced with former President Trump’s speech on January 6 ahead of the riots, showing the crowd’s reaction to Trump as he urged them to head to the Capitol.

The Democrats’ 13-minute video concluded with Trump’s deleted tweet on January 6, saying that “these are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously and viciously stripped away.”
On the other hand, Trump’s defense team has contended that the impeachment trial itself is unconstitutional while arguing that Trump did not incite the rioters and that his speech about the election was protected by the First Amendment.
Trump’s attorney Bruce Castor warned that a second impeachment trial in 13 months would “open the floodgates” to future impeachments, suggesting that former Obama administration Attorney General Eric Holder could be impeached, reported CNN.
Trump attorney David Schoen argued that the Constitution specifically states that only the current president can be convicted at an impeachment trial, according to The Hill.
The House managers and Trump’s defense team are each allotted up to 16 hours spread over two days to present their cases.
Trump is facing his second impeachment trial at the Senate for his role in inciting the deadly insurrection at the Capitol last month.

Trump’s attorney argues that impeachment trial is ‘politically motivated’

During former US President Donald Trump‘s second impeachment trial in the Senate, his attorney Bruce Castor opened his defense on Tuesday by arguing that the trial is politically motivated and an effort by Democrats to ensure they never have to face Trump in an election again.
“Let’s understand why we’re really here…We’re really here because the majority of the House of Representatives does not want to face Donald Trump as a political candidate in the future,” The Hill quoted Castor.
If Trump is convicted in the Senate by a two-thirds majority, it would then only require a bare majority vote to bar him from ever running for office again, according to The Hill.

Castor further accused Democrats of taking the easy way out and of ‘infantilising’ ordinary Americans, who he said had already handled the matter by voting Trump out of office.
“The American people just spoke and just changed administrations,” Castor said.

Trump unhappy with attorney’s opening statement during impeachment trial

Former President Donald Trump is reportedly unhappy with his defense attorney Bruce Castor‘s opening argument on the Senate floor this afternoon, according to two people familiar with his reaction.
Trump was so unhappy that he was almost screaming as Castor made his arguments that struggled to get at the heart of his defense team’s argument, which is supposed to be over the constitutionality of holding a trial for a president no longer in office, reported CNN.
Given the legal team was assembled a little over a week ago, it went as expected, one of the sources told CNN, adding that Trump’s allies were flabbergasted when his attorneys switched speaking slots at the last minute.

A majority of US senators on Tuesday said the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump is constitutional, despite calls from some Republicans to dismiss the proceedings. The vote was passed 56-44 in the Upper House.
Six GOP senators voted with Democrats, establishing that the impeachment trial is constitutional.
Being the first US President in history to be impeached twice, Trump’s second trial will deliberate on his role in inciting the deadly mob attacks on the Capitol last month. (ANI)

(ANI)