Amid the Biden administration and Democrats’ talk about unity and bipartisanship, they are rushing ahead with the most divisive and partisan impeachment in American history.
Democrats — and a very small minority of Republicans — seek to impeach and convict Trump for supposedly “inciting” the insurrection on Capitol Hill over three weeks ago. The left believes that the 45th president set in motion the events of January 6 by calling upon his supporters to be in Washington D.C. and speaking of a rigged election.
Most Republicans in the Senate aren’t supportive of moving ahead with impeachment. As a matter of fact, dozens of GOP senators maintain that putting a former president and private citizen on trial in the Senate is unconstitutional, Washington Examiner confirms.
A Lack of Constitutional Basis for a Second Trump Impeachment Trial
During a Fox News Primetime interview, Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky painted a clear picture about the reality of impeachment. According to the GOP senator, 45 Republicans in the Senate view a Trump impeachment trial as unconstitutional. Paul also explained that while Democrats will inevitably continue their “parade of partisanship,” it will go nowhere.
ICYMI I joined @MariaBartiromo to explain my impeachment objection https://t.co/rGMhvd67Fn
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) January 27, 2021
Even Biden has acknowledged that Trump is unlikely to face conviction in the Senate. Many Republicans hold this view too; however, unlike Biden and the Democrats, most Republicans believe that no constitutional basis exists for placing an out-of-office president on trial. As such, Sen. Paul has consistently endorsed a motion to halt the trial in its tracks.
Regarding the Senate trial set to commence in a little under two weeks, the Republican congressman maintains the trial is “dead on arrival.”
The Likelihood of a Trump Conviction
Despite Democrats’ majority in the Senate, the likelihood of Trump facing conviction in the trial is slim to none. For starters, a conviction of the 45th president would require favorable votes from at least 17 Republicans. The numbers just aren’t there; hence, the Senate is not going to get the necessary supermajority for a Trump conviction.
WATCH: Lead impeachment manager Rep. Jamie Raskin reads article of impeachment charging former Pres. Trump with inciting the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. https://t.co/4FDm1DYlWp pic.twitter.com/MbfIBF88Ns
— ABC News (@ABC) January 26, 2021
For these reasons and others, many Republicans oppose moving forward with impeachment proceedings. In the long run, a Senate trial would merely waste time and divide Americans, Republicans warn; Democrats, however, want to carry forward with a trial to prove a point.
Earlier this week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki stood before reporters; she then claimed that the Biden administration can still achieve unity with Trump supporters, even while backing the continuation of impeachment. Needless to say, tens of millions of Trump supporters disagree with Psaki.
What do you make of Sen. Rand Paul’s remarks on impeachment? Let us know in the comments section below.
