The Senate yesterday voted down a motion brought by principled limited government
constitutional conservative Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who challenged the constitutionality of an impeachment trial against a former president.
(We have argued along similar lines in our articles “Insurrection Against Whom?” “Tell Senators Impeachment of Citizen Donald J. Trump is Unconstitutional” and “A Senate Trial After Trump Leaves Office Would Be Unconstitutional.”)
Only five Republicans joined all the Democrats in voting down Senator Paul’s point of order and moving to proceed with the anti-constitutional persecution of former President Trump. The vote was an indication that Democrats will not attract the 17 Republicans that would be needed to convict Mr. Trump at trial.
Five Republicans — Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse and Pat Toomey — joined all Democrats in voting to table the point of order, brought by Senator Paul.
His motion stated that “as of noon last Wednesday, Donald Trump holds none of the positions listed in the Constitution — he is a private citizen” and therefore the trial “violates the Constitution.”
Paul’s motion also asserted that Chief Justice John Roberts’s absence from the proceeding “demonstrate[s] that this is not a trial of the President, but of a private citizen.”
Paul declared victory after the vote even though 55 senators, including five Republicans, voted to table his argument that the proceeding is unconstitutional.
“It shows the impeachment is dead on arrival. If you voted that it was unconstitutional, how in the world would you ever vote to convict somebody for this?” he said.
“Forty-five of us, almost the entire caucus ... voted that the whole proceeding was unconstitutional, so this is a big victory for us,” he said. “This vote indicates it’s over.”
Paul added he last spoke to Trump about a week ago “but not about this.”
(We have argued along similar lines in our articles “Insurrection Against Whom?” “Tell Senators Impeachment of Citizen Donald J. Trump is Unconstitutional” and “A Senate Trial After Trump Leaves Office Would Be Unconstitutional.”)
Only five Republicans joined all the Democrats in voting down Senator Paul’s point of order and moving to proceed with the anti-constitutional persecution of former President Trump. The vote was an indication that Democrats will not attract the 17 Republicans that would be needed to convict Mr. Trump at trial.
Five Republicans — Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse and Pat Toomey — joined all Democrats in voting to table the point of order, brought by Senator Paul.
His motion stated that “as of noon last Wednesday, Donald Trump holds none of the positions listed in the Constitution — he is a private citizen” and therefore the trial “violates the Constitution.”
Paul’s motion also asserted that Chief Justice John Roberts’s absence from the proceeding “demonstrate[s] that this is not a trial of the President, but of a private citizen.”
Paul declared victory after the vote even though 55 senators, including five Republicans, voted to table his argument that the proceeding is unconstitutional.
“It shows the impeachment is dead on arrival. If you voted that it was unconstitutional, how in the world would you ever vote to convict somebody for this?” he said.
“Forty-five of us, almost the entire caucus ... voted that the whole proceeding was unconstitutional, so this is a big victory for us,” he said. “This vote indicates it’s over.”
Paul added he last spoke to Trump about a week ago “but not about this.”
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