Senate GOP boxes itself in on impeachment
The outcome of former President Trump's second impeachment trial has largely been determined after 45 Republican senators voted in support of a resolution declaring it unconstitutional and the impeachment of a private citizen illegal.
The vote boxes in the overwhelming majority of the Senate Republican conference into supporting Trump's acquittal on a single article of impeachment before the House managers and Trump's lawyers have even filed their pre-trial briefs.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), one of only a handful of GOP senators actively considering whether to vote to convict Trump, on Tuesday said it's now hard to imagine there will be anything close to the 67 votes needed to convict Trump.
"Whether or not we're going to see members change their mind after they've already taken a vote, I think that's hard for people to do," she said.
"Because [people] are like, 'Wait, wait, wait. You voted to say that this was not constitutional and now you're changing your mind?' We don't get a lot of credit and we don't get a lot of allowance to change our mind around here," she added.
"That's why I think it was a little unfortunate that we had this very spontaneous vote on an extraordinarily significant matter without the considered debate and brief and analysis," she said. "People had to make really quick decisions."
Murkowski voted with only four other Republicans, Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Mitt Romney (Utah), Pat Toomey (Pa.) and Ben Sasse (Neb.), to table the motion declaring the trial unconstitutional.
Sixty-seven senators or two-thirds of the Senate present in the chamber must vote for the article of impeachment to convict the former president.
Murkowski said she and her colleagues were caught "flat-footed" by the key procedural vote. She said she was not aware until Tuesday morning that she would be voting on Paul's motion later in the day.
"I think just about everybody was quite surprised to be in a position to actually take not only a public position but a vote on this today. And so I think that there were a lot that were perhaps not as prepared. I don't feel I am as prepared as I wanted," she said.
She said "the question deserved more considered review by us the Senate."
Collins told reporters Tuesday afternoon: "I think it's pretty obvious from the vote today that it is extraordinarily unlikely that the president will be convicted."
"Just do the math," she said.
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Posted By: Dea. Ron Gray Sr.
Wednesday, January 27th 2021 at 8:08AM
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