A bipartisan majority of the Senate voted that Trump's conduct was worthy of conviction, a permanent stain on his legacy. It was the largest bipartisan vote ever in an impeachment trial of a president.
Former President Donald Trump's defense team was allotted up to 16 hours to present their case, but made clear Friday they believed they needed far less to prove that Trump was not responsible for inciting the Capitol attack on Jan. 6.
Most Republicans appeared unmoved after the House managers concluded their presentation Thursday. Former President Donald Trump's defense team will make their rebuttal Friday, giving them the final word before senators consider whether to convict the former president.
Democrats spent the second day of the Senate trial laying out in detail the seriousness of the Jan. 6 security breach at the Capitol, where former Vice President Mike Pence and lawmakers narrowly escaped coming face-to-face with rioters intent on stopping Congress from conducting a final count of the Electoral College results.
The Senate voted Tuesday 56-44 to proceed with the trial against Trump on the House charge that he incited the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Six Republicans joined all 50 Democrats in voting to move forward with the trial.
Republicans will soon be forced to choose sides in the Senate, where Donald Trump will face an impeachment charge of inciting a violent insurrection. But the party has struggled to separate the former president from the deeply loyal base of supporters he left behind.
The rules for the impeachment trial, including how long it will last and whether witnesses will be allowed to testify, have not yet been finalized. But after several days of debate, the Senate's Republican and Democratic leaders struck a deal last Friday on the timing of the trial, which is slated to start the week of Feb. 8.
Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell are nearing a deal to begin an impeachment trial for former President Trump on Feb. 8, as they continue to iron out the final details including the length of a trial and allowing witnesses. This comes amid debates over sharing power in a 50-50 Senate. Dan Bush joins Judy Woodruff to discuss.
By moving to impeach Trump for a second time, Democrats gambled that a Senate trial wouldn't impede efforts to confirm President-elect Joe Biden's Cabinet nominees nor slow down his ambitious plans to bring the coronavirus pandemic under control.
From the start of the trial, it was clear there were not enough votes in the Senate to remove Trump from office for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress-- the two articles of impeachment approved by the House.