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WASHINGTON (AP) – Most Senate jurors have said they will listen to the evidence in Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial, but most opinions were likely taken before the trial began. Democrats would need a minimum of 17 Republicans to vote with them to condemn Trump of inciting an insurgency, and that seems unlikely.
Still, Democrats say they hope to win enough Republicans to condemn the former president for his role in the Jan.6 riots on Capitol Hill, in which five people died. If Trump is convicted, the Senate could take a second vote to bar him from running again. A final vote is likely on Saturday.
Here’s a look at the Republicans Democrats are eyeing as they make the final arguments in the case:
COMMON CRITICS OF THE ASSET
Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine made it clear that Trump instigated the January 6 riots. has twice joined Democrats in voting against GOP efforts to dismiss the lawsuit.
Collins said after the riots that Trump “bore the responsibility of turning up the crowd and inciting that crowd.” Murkowski called on Trump to step down after the attack on Capitol Hill, telling a local newspaper three days later that “I want him out. He’s done enough damage.
Romney tweeted Jan. 6: “What happened today on the United States Capitol was an insurgency, instigated by the President of the United States.” During the trial, Democrats showed video of Romney narrowly escaping the crowd, redirected by a Capitol Hill police officer as he unknowingly ran towards the violent crowd.
Sasse said Trump “lied” to the Americans and that the “consequences now lie in five dead Americans and a ruined Capitol building.” In a recent video, he said Republican politics shouldn’t be about “weird guy worship”.
Murkowski, Collins and Sasse voted for Trump’s acquittal in his first impeachment trial, in which Democrats accused of abusing his power by urging the Ukrainian president to investigate then-candidate Joe Biden. Romney was the GOP’s only guilty vote, leaving Democrats away from conviction.
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Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey, who is retiring from the Senate in 2022, also twice voted with the Democrats to move the trial forward. Like Murkowski, he called for Trump’s resignation after the riots, saying it would be the best way to “put that person in the rearview mirror for us.” Toomey had also aggressively rebuffed Trump’s false claims that he won Pennsylvania and other states in elections.
Three other GOP senators have said they will not be running again in two years, potentially freeing them to vote against Trump and the party’s angry grassroots voters – Ohio Senator Rob Portman, Senator of North Carolina Richard Burr and Alabama Senator Richard Shelby. All three voted to dismiss the lawsuit, but Portman says he’s still open-minded about the conviction.
Burr said Thursday he would not comment on the trial. Shelby said this week that impeachment officials had a ‘strong point’ that Trump could have acted earlier to end the violence, but argued the trial is unconstitutional because Trump is now removed from office. functions.
CASSIDY AS A WILD CARD
Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, who was re-elected by a wide margin in 2020, voted two weeks ago for a GOP effort to dismiss the lawsuit. But he changed his vote this week, saying Trump’s lawyers had done a “terrible” job in claiming the lawsuit was unconstitutional.
Cassidy, who took numerous notes throughout the trial, said on Friday the leaders raised “intriguing questions” during their two days of arguments. He said he hoped Trump’s lawyers would answer it thoroughly and “try to approach it objectively.”
During the trial question and answer session on Friday afternoon, Cassidy questioned Trump’s lawyers about a conversation the then president had with Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville on January 6 just after the evacuation of Vice President Mike Pence from the Senate. Tuberville says he told Trump Pence had been taken away, making it clear that Trump was probably aware of the danger at this point, although he tweeted criticism of Pence after that for not trying to cancel the election. Cassidy asked lawyers if this shows Trump “tolerates bullying from Vice President Pence?”
Attorney Michael van der Veen dismissed Tuberville’s account as “hearsay,” a response Cassidy later said was not sufficient.
THUNE TAKES WARMTH FROM TRUMP
South Dakota Senator John Thune, the second Republican in the Senate, has rejected Trump’s attempts to challenge President Biden’s certification of electoral victory. He predicted the effort “would fall like a hound” in the Senate.
The comment sparked a furious reaction from the former president, who urged Gov. Kristi Noem to run against Thune in a GOP primary, an idea she immediately rejected.
Still, Thune twice voted to dismiss the case. He said on Friday he was keeping an open mind and indicated he might be open to a censorship resolution if Trump is acquitted.
“I know a few of my colleagues who have seen at least a few resolutions that I think might attract some support,” Thune said.
EYES ON McCONNELL
Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell has twice voted to dismiss the lawsuit, saying he will ultimately vote for acquittal. But he also said Trump “provoked” the crowd, which was “fed on lies”.
Shortly after the attack, McConnell privately told associates that he was done with Trump and publicly said he was undecided on impeachment. He told the republicans Trump’s guilt decision is a vote of conscience.
His neutral stance stands in stark contrast to his handling of the first trial, when he largely protected Trump and rejected Democrats’ requests to call witnesses.
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