“I think a lot of damage could be done to the presidency itself,” Sen. Other senators were more explicit about their thinking. “I’m one that, probably along with most Republicans, think it’s not constitutional in the first place to have a trial.”
#Jamie raskin yarmulke trial
“I think we’re going to go through a trial here over the next few days, and I think you’re going to find out the answer,” Cassidy said. Mike Braun (R-IN) took a similar approach, but in favor of acquittal. Bob Casey (D-PA) echoed Coons, saying he did not believe that Trump should be able to hold public office again, adding “but we’re still gonna look at all the evidence.” “My expectation is that all of us will reach the conclusion that he should not hold office.” “I look forward to seeing compelling evidence about role in the January 6 assault on the Capitol,” Sen. Merkley agreed, calling the video “very powerful,” adding that it “seems so unreal.”īefore the trial kicked off Tuesday afternoon, a number of senators indicated that they had already decided how they will vote, though most said they planned to hear the evidence laid out by each side. “They put it all together and it was, I thought, very effective, in that it reached some people that otherwise didn’t in person.” “ didn’t see all the things that happened” on January 6, Sen. “They were trying to play on blue versus red rather than the facts and the law.”Ī video played by the House’s impeachment managers - a compilation of footage from the riot - also appeared to leave a strong impression on senators. “I found their case to do everything that undermines our success as a republic,” he said. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) accused Trump’s lawyers of attempting to inflame partisan divisions within the Senate. That was not one of the finest I’ve seen,” Sen. “The first lawyer just rambled on and on and on and didn’t really address the constitutional argument. They talked about many things, but they didn’t talk about the issue at hand.” Castor’s meandering speech was widely mocked on social media, and even questioned by former Trump impeachment attorney Alan Dershowitz.Īfter Tuesday’s proceedings, there seemed to be bipartisan agreement that Trump’s lawyers did not advance the president’s case, even among Trump’s staunch supporters and the former president himself.
“If I’m an impartial juror and one side is doing a great job and the other side is doing a terrible job on the issue at hand, as an impartial juror I’m going to vote for the side that did a good job.”Ĭassidy added that the Trump lawyers’ presentation was “disorganized, random. President Trump’s team, they were disorganized, they did everything they could but to talk about the question at hand,” Cassidy told reporters after the vote. “The House managers were focused, they were organized … they made a compelling argument. The final vote was 56-44.Ĭassidy voted “no” on a procedural vote on a similar question last week, but appeared to have been swayed by the presentations on Tuesday. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) voted with five other Republicans and all 50 Senate Democrats that the upper chamber has the constitutional authority to hold an impeachment trial, even though Trump has left office. In one of the most surprising moments of the day, Sen. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the House’s lead impeachment manager - in which he discussed his experience during the January 6 riot - followed by a bizarre, rambling presentation by Trump attorney Bruce Castor. The afternoon began with a tearful speech by Rep.
Former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial kicked off Tuesday, though the substance of the issue - whether or not the Senate has the constitutional authority to hold a trial for a president no longer in office - was somewhat eclipsed by remarks from some of the starring lawyers.
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