Subsequent to the publication of this article, the Senate voted to extend the impeachment trial of former President Trump by calling additional witnesses.
The Senate on Saturday is expected to conclude former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial with a vote to acquit him on the charge that he incited an insurrection that led to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
Senators will convene in the chamber for a fifth and likely final day of the trial with up to four hours of deliberation on the case that was presented this week by nine House impeachment managers and rebutted by a team of Trump’s defense lawyers.
Unless lawmakers decide to call witnesses, which appears unlikely, they will vote on whether to convict the former president on the one impeachment charge. Conviction would require 67 votes, including at least 17 Republicans, and party lawmakers say it’s unlikely more than a handful will join the Democrats.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, told fellow members of his party in a letter that he will vote to acquit the former president. Trump lives at his Palm Beach, Florida, resort and still appears to have the support of a large base of voters.
“He said it’s a vote of conscience,” Sen. John Cornyn of Texas told Republicans, responding to McConnell’s letter. “So, I think each senator needs to make that decision on their own. Obviously, he’s reached that conclusion.”
House impeachment managers and the defense team presented dueling video footage over the course of the week. Democrats aimed to show that Trump stirred up an angry mob and prompted them to attack the Capitol violently in disturbing scenes captured on smartphones and security cameras.
Defense lawyers played a montage of Democrats using fiery rhetoric similar to Trump’s and showed Democrats acting in support of the summer social justice protests that left more than two dozen people dead and many cities burned and vandalized.
This is the second time that the Senate has put Trump on trial.
It acquitted him a year ago on corruption and obstruction of Congress charges, with Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah as the sole Republican voting with the Democrats.
This time, more Republicans could vote to convict, although it’s likely to fall short of the needed 17.
Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana are among the GOP lawmakers who voted with Romney and Democrats earlier this week to say that the trial is constitutional, even though Trump is no longer in office.
Senators during a question-and-answer period on Friday night asked lawyers about Trump’s actions after the attack began, when he learned of the attack, and how he responded.
Their questions came in response to reports that Trump tweeted an attack on former Vice President Mike Pence after he was made aware that Pence was evacuated from the Senate chamber. Trump wanted Pence to block the certification of President Biden’s victory. He tweeted that Pence “didn’t have the courage to do what should have been done.”
Senators wanted to know if the president intentionally put Pence and law enforcement in harm’s way by further inciting protesters with his tweet.
Trump’s lawyers said the president was not aware Pence was taken from the chamber and that the building was under attack.
