Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said on Sunday that former President Trump’s acquittal in his second Senate impeachment was a foregone conclusion without Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) backing conviction.
One of the Democratic House lawmakers who served as an impeachment manager for former President Trump's second Senate trial said on Sunday that the proceedings could have lasted for years if witnesses were called and fought subpoenas.
Senate Republicans are warning that they no longer view former President Trump
Though only seven of the 50 GOP senators voted to find Trump “guilty” at the end of his second impeachment trial, Republicans, including those who voted to acquit, are plotting a future where Trump is no longer their center of gravity after years of dominating their day-to-day lives.
Trump is showing no signs of going away, saying in a statement after the trial concluded that the MAGA movement was just getting started. But Republicans say he has a diminished following and competition for the party’s top spot.
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“If you feel that you have no authority, then you can’t go on and say ‘well we have no authority but I guess I’ll go ahead and convict anyway,’ ” Hawley said. “I’d be surprised if many or any of those people change their minds on the underlying question of whether or not to oppose a penalty or not.”
Assuming every Democrat votes to find Trump “guilty,” they would still need 17 Republican senators to side with them in order to convict Trump, in what would amount to a historic first. On Tuesday, they got six to say the trial was constitutional.