Senate votes to proceed with Trump impeachment trial, rejects constitutional cavil

A divided Senate voted on Tuesday to proceed with Donald J. Trump’s second impeachment trial, narrowly rejecting constitutional objections after House prosecutors opened their case with a harrowing 13-minute video capturing the deadly Capitol riot he stands accused of inciting.

Though the presentation stunned senators who lived through the rampage into silence, only six Republicans joined Democrats in clearing the way for the case to be heard. The 56-to-44 vote was the second indication in two weeks that Trump was all but certain to be acquitted. “The result of this trial is preordained,” Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, said flatly. “Trump will be acquitted.”

Even so, the nine House Democrats prosecuting the former president aimed their opening arguments squarely at Republicans who had the power to change the outcome. They cited an array of conservative legal scholars to argue that the Senate not only had the right to try a former president for official misconduct, but an obligation. And they offered a raw appeal from the well of the Senate, where a month before lawmakers had taken shelter as the pro-trump mob closed in. “Senators, this cannot be our future,” said Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the lead manager, as he fought back tears.

Criminal investigation into Trump’s call

Prosecutors in Georgia have opened a criminal investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn his election loss in the state, including the phone call in which he pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” votes for him

© The New York Times 2021