Senator Rand Paul Attempts to Block Impeachment Action vs. Trump

Republican Senator Rand Paul made a move to block the forthcoming impeachment trial of ex-president Trump, but failed. Although his motion to stop the trial on the basis of being unconstitutional garnered only 45 votes as against the 55 votes that assert the constitutionality of the impeachment, Senator Paul was still happy with the results.

As it was, only five Republican senators voted with the Democrats. That means the Democratic Party will find it difficult to muster ⅔ majority votes in gunning for Trump’s conviction. Smugly, the Republican senator told reporters that “Forty-five votes in support of blocking the impeachment means the trial is already dead on arrival.”

The Republicans are also questioning the legality of designating Democratic Senator Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy instead of naming Chief Justice John Roberts as presiding authority in the impeachment trial. According to Paul, it already denotes bias in favor of the Democrats.

However, the Senator’s assessment that the impeachment trial is already dead is still not certain. When asked if they will also vote for Trump’s conviction in relation to his actions of inciting sedition during the January 6 DC riots, some Senators said their vote did not mean they do not intend to hold Trump accountable.

Republican Senator Rob Portman specifically told reporters that the matter of holding Trump accountable for the riot is an issue that is a whole lot different.

What Law Experts Say About the Constitutionality of Trump’s Second Impeachment

According to most scholars, presidents who participate in wrongdoings during the last days or hours of their administration should not be exempted from being held liable.

Several “late-impeachment” experts are saying it is constitutional as a way to disqualify the erring former president from running and winning a government position any time in the future. In response to the arguments against Democratic senate president pro tempore Senator Leahy, impeachment experts explained that the Supreme Court Chief Justice is called upon to preside over impeachment trials only if the person being impeached is the sitting president.

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