Daily US Times: A growing number of Republican senators say they oppose holding an impeachment trial, a sign of the dimming chances that Donald Trump will be convicted on the charge that he incited a siege of the US Capitol earlier this month.
House Democrats are hoping that strong Republican denunciations of Trump after the January 6 riot will translate into a conviction and a separate vote to bar Trump from holding office again.
But passions of the Republican senators appear to have cooled since the insurrection in the Capitol building, and now that Donald Trump’s presidency is over, Republican senators who will serve as jurors in the impeachment trial are rallying to his legal defense, as they did during his first impeachment trial last year.
Senator Marco Rubio, R-Fla. said he thinks the trial is stupid and counterproductive.
The Senator said that the first chance he gets to vote to end this trial, he will do it because he believes it would be bad for the country and further inflame partisan divisions.
Arguments in the Senate trial will begin the week of February 8. Leaders in both the Democratic and Republican party agreed to the short delay to give Mr Trump’s team and House prosecutors time to prepare and the Senate the chance to confirm some of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominees.
Democrats say the extra days will allow for more evidence to come out about the rioting by pro-Trump supporters who interrupted the congressional electoral count of Joe Biden’s election victory, while Republicans hope to craft a unified defense for Trump.
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