As Senate trial nears, Republicans back Trump
WASHINGTON: Former United States president Donald Trump’s defenders in the Senate have rallied around him, dismissing his impeachment trial as a waste of time and arguing his fiery speech before the US Capitol insurrection does not make him responsible.
‘‘If being held accountable means being impeached by the House and being convicted by the Senate, the answer to that is no,’’ Republican Senator Roger Wicker said yesterday, making clear his belief Trump should and would be acquitted.
Asked if Congress could consider other punishment such as censure, Wicker said the
Democraticled House had had that option earlier but rejected it. ‘‘That ship has sailed,’’ he said. The Senate will launch the impeachment trial tomorrow to consider the charge Trump’s fighting words to protesters at a Capitol rally as well as weeks of falsehoods about a stolen and rigged presidential election provoked a mob to storm the Capitol on January 6.
Many senators, including Republican leader Mitch McConnell, immediately denounced the violence and blamed Trump.
Following the riot, Wicker said Americans ‘‘will not stand for this kind of attack on the rule of law’’ and said ‘‘we must pros ecute’’ those who undermine democracy.
With Trump now gone from the presidency, Republicans have shown little appetite for further action, such as an impeachment conviction that could lead to barring him from future office.
Yesterday, Wicker said the trial was a a ‘‘meaningless messaging partisan exercise’’.
Republican Senator Rand
Paul, of Kentucky, dismissed it as a farce with ‘‘zero chance of conviction’’, describing Trump’s words to protesters to ‘‘fight like hell’’ as ‘‘figurative’’ speech.
He also noted Chief Justice John Roberts had declined to preside over the impeachment proceeding because Trump was no longer president.
‘‘It is a farce, it is unconstitutional. But more than anything it’s unwise and going to divide the country,’’ Paul said.
Last month, he forced a vote to set aside the trial as unconstitutional because Trump was no longer in office, which legal experts say is disputable.
However, the vote suggested the near impossibility in reaching a conviction in a Senate, where Democrats hold 50 seats but a twothirds vote — or 67 senators — would be needed.
Fortyfour Republican senators sided with Paul and voted to oppose holding an impeachment trial. Five joined with Democrats to reject Paul’s motion: Mitt Romney, of Utah; Ben Sasse, of Nebraska; Susan Collins, of Maine; Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska; and Pat Toomey, of Pennsylvania. — AP