The Senate trial of former president Donald Trump started on Tuesday with a debate and vote on the constitutionality of his second impeachment trial.
U.S. House managers and the former president’s lawyers took up to four equally divided hours to make the case for or against the constitutionality of Trump’s second impeachment, followed by a Senate vote that passed in its favor by 56 – 44 votes.
Trump’s legal team challenged the legal foundation of his post-presidency trial, and said the proceedings will “tear this country apart”.
The Senate is unlikely to achieve the two-thirds vote required to convict Trump, according to reports.
The five Republicans who say Trump’s post-presidency impeachment trial is constitutional are:
- Ben Sasse, Nebraska
- Mitt Romney, Utah
- Pat Toomey, Pennsylvania
- Susan Collins, Maine
- Lisa Murkowski, Alaska
The Senate adopted the rules for the trial by a vote of 89 – 11.
We have a lot of work to do.