The U.S. Senate is hearing arguments for and against convicting former President Donald Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
WASHINGTON, DC — Day Two of the second impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump is underway, as the U.S. Senate continues to hear arguments for and against convicting Trump for his role in the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the lead House impeachment manager, told senators there was “a method to the madness” of Jan. 6 and that prosecutors would prove that Trump was no “innocent bystander” but rather the “inciter in chief” of the deadly attack at the Capitol aimed at overturning his election loss to Joe Biden, according to The Associated Press.
The trial in the Senate, the first impeachment trial for a former president, was determined to be constitutional by a 56-44 vote of senators Tuesday.
Six Republicans joined all of the Democrats and independents in voting to affirm the constitutionality of the trial, before the Senate adjourned on the proceedings’ opening day. Those Republicans included Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who notably voted in favor of constitutionality after earlier indicating he would not, according to news reports.
Cassidy told the AP that Trump’s defense team did a “terrible job” in the opening arguments. Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine who also voted for the trial to go on, said she was “perplexed” by the argument led by Bruce Castor Jr., Trump’s impeachment attorney.
Trump is the first president to face a second impeachment and the first to be tried after leaving office. The trial started Tuesday afternoon on Capitol Hill and is to continue at noon Wednesday.
Raskin spoke passionately Tuesday during the first hour of the trial as lead impeachment manager.
He said an acquittal would create a “January exception” that could allow any president to do anything in their last days of office without consequence, according to CNN.
Castor began the former president’s defense shortly after Raskin’s opening. Trump was not present.
Trump has been charged with incitement of insurrection related to the Jan. 6 mob attack on the U.S. Capitol building. The riot let to the deaths of five people, including a U.S. Capitol police officer.
The House of Representatives voted in January to impeach Trump on the incitement of insurrection charge, with 10 Republicans joining all House Democrats in favor of impeachment.
The impeachment charge centers primarily on the fiery speech Trump delivered to supporters rallying on the National Mall the morning Congress was to certify the results of an election he falsely claimed had been “stolen” from him. He encouraged his supporters to “fight like hell” for his presidency.
In order to convict Trump, 17 Republican senators would need to join all Democrats in issuing guilty verdicts. So far, no Republicans have confirmed they plan to do so.
All 100 senators will act as jurors in the trial, which is to feature hours of graphic testimony about the events that left five people dead, sent lawmakers scurrying for safety and spurred a sprawling investigation by the FBI and Justice Department to track down the scores of people who attacked the Capitol.
If Trump is convicted, a separate vote could bar him from holding public office again.
Lawyers for Trump have denounced the trial, describing it as “political theater,” according to the New York Times. Trump has declined the opportunity to testify in his defense, according to The Associated Press.
Prosecutors previously said the former president committed the “most grievous constitutional crime” in inciting the deadly mob attack over unfounded claims of a rigged election.
Trump’s first impeachment trial, in early 2020, resulted in an acquittal on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
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