Last Updated on January 26, 2021
No less than 45 Republican senators voted Tuesday that the Democrat Party’s bizarre impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump is profoundly illegal and unconstitutional, following a rousing speech from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY. The largely symbolic vote indicates that Senate Democrats’ desperate attempt to impeach a President who has already left office will like fail in spectacular fashion if it reaches a vote on the Senate floor.
“The Senate just voted on my constitutional point of order,” Paul tweeted Tuesday. “45 Senators agreed that this sham of a “trial” is unconstitutional. That is more than will be needed to acquit and to eventually end this partisan impeachment process. This “trial” is dead on arrival in the Senate.”
The Senate just voted on my constitutional point of order.
45 Senators agreed that this sham of a “trial” is unconstitutional.
That is more than will be needed to acquit and to eventually end this partisan impeachment process.
This “trial” is dead on arrival in the Senate.
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) January 26, 2021
Sens. Mitt Romney (Utah), Ben Sasse (Neb.), Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Pat Toomey (Pa.) made up the coalition of five Republicans who voted that the impeachment trial was constitutional. Their desperate attempt to sway the results of the impeachment proceeding still leaves Senate Democrats 12 votes shy of the 55 they would need to succeed in a future trial.
“The Chief Justice’s absence demonstrate that this is not a trial of the president, but one of a private citizen,” Paul said in an address to the Senate floor Tuesday. “Therefore I make a point of order that this proceeding, which would try a private citizen and not a president, a vice president or civil officer violates the Constitution, and is not an order.”
Paul also described the impeachment as “nothing more than a partisan exercise designed to further divide the country.”
And Rand Paul just demolished the room. #impeachment pic.twitter.com/9oUY9qgNJE
— Brandon Morse (@TheBrandonMorse) January 26, 2021
Assuming no Republicans change their votes, President Trump will not be convicted in any future impeachment trial, as the Senate requires a two thirds majority to convict a sitting President. It is still unclear how the Senate has the Constitutional power to convict a former president.
