Here Are the 6 Republicans Who Voted That Trump’s Impeachment Trial Is Constitutional

Six Republican senators voted Tuesday to affirm that the impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump is constitutional.

That is one more senator than voted for essentially the same point of order that Rand Paul (R-KY) forced just two weeks ago.

There were, of course, the usual suspects who joined Democrats in declaring the trial constitutional – Republican senators Mitt Romney (UT), Ben Sasse (NE), Susan Collins (ME), and Lisa Murkowski (AK).

Trump has been living rent-free in Sasse and Romney’s heads for some time, while Murkowski and Collins are often squishes who threaten to side with Democrats.

In addition to those four, Senator Pat Toomey (PA), a former ‘Tea Party Caucus’ guy, and Bill Cassidy (LA) voted with Democrats on the trial’s constitutionality.

RELATED: Trump Lawyer’s Demand Senate Impeachment Trial Be Dismissed, Top Dem Admits ‘Not Crazy To Argue’ It’s Unconstitutional

Republicans Join Democrats in Vote At Trump Impeachment Trial

Bill Cassidy is the only Republican senator who voted that the trial is unconstitutional under Paul’s motion, but switched to vote alongside the Democrats saying it is constitutional at the start of the trial.

What changed?

“If anyone disagrees with my vote and would like an explanation, I ask them to listen to the arguments presented by the House Managers and former President Trump’s lawyers,” Cassidy told reporters.

“The House managers had much stronger constitutional arguments. The president’s team did not.”

Strength of arguments aside, you know what didn’t change, Mr. Cassidy?

The Constitution.

“When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside,” Article 1, Section 3 reads.

Both aspects are not being adhered to, as Donald Trump is now a private citizen – not president – and Chief Justice John Roberts has refused to preside over the trial.

“The Constitution says two things about impeachment — it is a tool to remove the officeholder, and it must be presided over by the chief justice of the Supreme Court,” Paul wrote in an op-ed.

RELATED: Democrats Have A Back-Up Plan That Might Still Bar Trump From Running Again If Impeachment Fails

Stupidest Week in the Senate

Perhaps the lone voice of reason coming out of Congress this week was that of Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) who described the impeachment trial as, well … ‘stupid.’

“Welcome to the stupidest week in the Senate,” he announced in a video statement.

Cramer also blasted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for using impeachment “flippantly” as a political tool and described her impeachment managers as “backbenchers.”

“While Speaker Pelosi sent these backbenchers to tie up the Senate,” Cramer said, “she sent the rest of the House home instead of leaving them here to carry out the actual work of the American people.”

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Romney Says He Will Support Senate Vote On Trump’s Supreme Court Nominee

On Tuesday, Senator Mitt Romney announced he will support a Senate vote on President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee.

The move may come as a surprise to conservatives, as Romney is viewed by many to be anti-Trump.

Romney: ‘I intend To Vote Based Upon Their Qualifications’

Romney said in a statement, “My decision regarding a Supreme Court nomination is not the result of a subjective test of ‘fairness’ which, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.

“It is based on the immutable fairness of following the law, which in this case is the Constitution and precedent.”

Romney’s statement noted there is nothing hypocritical about the move:

“The historical precedent of election year nominations is that the Senate generally does not confirm an opposing party’s nominee but does confirm a nominee of its own.”

“The Constitution gives the president the power to nominate and the Senate the authority to provide advice and consent on Supreme Court nominees,” Romney’s statement continued.

“Accordingly, I intend to follow the Constitution and precedent in considering the president’s nominee. If the nominee reaches the Senate floor, I intend to vote based upon their qualifications,” he added.

RELATED: Joe Biden Says Voters Shouldn’t Know Who He Would Appoint To Supreme Court

Republican Senator Gardner Signals Support For Trump Nomination

Romney’s statement comes in the wake of Republican Senator Cory Gardner’s announcement Monday that he will vote to confirm Trump’s nominee if the President’s pick meets his criteria.

“I have and will continue to support judicial nominees who will protect our Constitution, not legislate from the bench, and uphold the law,” Gardner said in a statement.

“Should a qualified nominee who meets this criteria be put forward, I will vote to confirm.”

Republican Senators Murkowski And Collins Do Not Support Vote

However, moderate Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins have said they want whoever is president after the November election to make the SCOTUS pick.

They rationalized that this is what Republicans did in 2016 with then-President Barack Obama’s choice of Judge Merrick Garland right before that year’s election.

“I did not support taking up a nomination eight months before the 2016 election to fill the vacancy created by the passing of Justice [Antonin] Scalia,” Sen. Murkowski said in a statement.

“We are now even closer to the 2020 election, less than two months out, and I believe the same standard must apply.”

RELATED: Susan Collins Says She Opposes Voting On SCOTUS Nominee – What Is Wrong With This ‘Republican?’

Sen. Collins said the vacancy should ultimately be filled by whoever wins between Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden on November 3.

Romney Supports A vote – But How Will HE Vote?

It should be noted that while Romney said he supports a vote on Trump’s SCOTUS nominee, he did not indicate whether or not he would vote for that choice himself.

Being Mitt Romney, that could go either way.

The former Massachusetts Governor turned Utah Senator has a long history in the “Never Trump” movement.

Beginning in 2016, Romney declared his allegiance to Never Trump with a speech urging against Trump as the Republican nominee for President.

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“Think of Donald Trump’s personal qualities, the bullying, the greed, the showing off, the misogyny, the absurd third grade theatrics,” Romney said then.

The Senator also ran a fake Twitter account to attack Trump, using the name “Pierre Delecto.”

Most recently, Romney voted to convict President Trump in his impeachment trial.

The Trump administration has announced the President should make his nominee announcement on Saturday.

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Manchin and Murkowski Solid for President in Senate Impeachment Vote

By David Kamioner | February 4, 2020

Less than two days before the historic impeachment vote in the U.S. Senate, two senators who were thought to be swing votes, Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, announced they could not vote to remove the president from office.

Thus, they will vote for the president and no on the charges.

Most analysts had predicted the GOP’s Murkowski would hold the line. But Manchin was more of an educated guess. LifeZette called it. However, others thought Manchin would not defy his Senate leadership. So either he got a doomed cause waiver to help him in his home state or he’s planning a jump to the GOP. Either is possible and the party switch would not hurt him in deep red conservative West Virginia.

RELATED: Never Trumper Bill Kristol Goes Full Democrat

Murkowski’s independent libertarian-trending Alaskans probably just want the whole show over with and will have no problem with her vote.

The only remaining possible holdouts are Collins, Jones, Tester, and Romney.

Republican Susan Collins of Maine may vote guilty on one or both counts because she knows the president will win anyway and at least one guilty vote could help her in blue-leaning Maine. She could have received the done deal waiver from McConnell. The Left may also consider an anti-Trump vote a thrown bone because of her yes vote for Brett Kavanaugh.

Democrat Doug Jones of Alabama is in a hard place. He’s likely to lose this year no mater how he votes on impeachment, as he won in a fluke in 2017. However, even the slightest hope would be gone if he votes against the president. So does he vote to convict and pray the Democrats take care of him after he leaves office or does he vote with the president and hope GOP infighting once again gives him an upset victory?

Democrat Jon Tester of Montana was once considered a possible vote for the president on impeachment. But smart money now says he will vote with his party. But there’s a small chance he bucks them, which would help him in deep red Montana.

RELATED: Trump Easily Wins Iowa, Twitter Roasts Democrats for Disastrous Night

And then there’s Mittens.

Hates the president but loves his GOP Senate seat from conservative Utah. The pressure in Utah is already getting intense for him to hold up the GOP shield wall. Could vote with the president on one count and against on the other. Our call is that he sticks with the GOP on both counts.

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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DEVELOPING: More GOP Senators Could Defect in Impeachment Trial

By David Kamioner | January 27, 2020

Respected political analyst Dr. Tim Blessing of Alvernia College in Pennsylvania has had a look at the Senate GOP caucus and how they may vote on witnesses in the impeachment trial.

“I did a count Friday night. The following are GOP Senators who have publicly left some air in their positions as per witnesses: Murkowski, Gardner, Ernst (though she appears to have walked hers back), Collins, Tillis (who also might be rethinking things), Portman, Inhofe (a bit of a surprise), Lankford (also a bit of a surprise), Toomey (who is quietly moving to a center position–but he cannot be re-elected if he does so), Alexander, Enzi, and Romney. I have no idea what Cruz is doing. If we get down in the weeds, some of these folks could switch.”

It’s a majority vote and current projections show that the Democrats only need to flip four GOP Senators in order to get witnesses.

If Dr. Blessing is right and witnesses are called to testify in the impeachment trial, this becomes an entirely different ordeal and one that could go in very strange directions.

LifeZette will provide additional updates as more information becomes available.

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

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Bolton Manuscript Leaked, Romney and Collins May Vote Against the President

By David Kamioner | January 27, 2020

Reports out of DC, on the heels of the selective leaking of John Bolton’s new book, is that Republican Senators Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine are likely to go south on the GOP trial process and vote to bring in witnesses.

If that happens the trial won’t be over by late this week/early next week. It could go on for weeks. If the duo votes against the president’s trial agenda the Dems would still need two more votes to win on the subject. They are targeting GOP Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee.

The pressure to vote for witnesses was ratcheted up over the weekend with leaks from John Bolton’s new book that claim that the president directly told Bolton that the delay in military aid to Ukraine was tied to Biden.

RELATED: Trump Defense Goes for Broke on Monday

Bolton is using the same team and strategy as has James Comey and the leak was coordinated to coincide with the impeachment trial, a vote on witnesses and, most importantly to Bolton, the availability to preorder his book online.

But bringing on witnesses is a two-edged sword for the Dems. Yes, the Dems may get Bolton. But the GOP could call Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, Adam Schiff, and Eric Ciaramella. As spiritually satisfying at it would be to watch Jay Sekulow munch on their still warm legal carcasses for lunch, the sooner this charade is over is the sooner the president can get back to undistracted work and the Congress can get back to whatever it does on a daily basis aside from fundraisers and hitting on lobbyists.

Bolton’s move can not only be seen as revenge for being fired by Trump, but as another chapter in the intramural GOP fight over a Cold War national security stance or the America First approach of the president.

RELATED: Poll Gives Trump Best Economic Rating in Almost Twenty Years

If Collins and Murkowski vote for witnesses it is likely to throw some meat to their moderate supporters. Alexander is a lame duck and can vote the way he chooses without electoral repercussions.

Though if he desires an appointment in a second Trump administration this would not be the way to get it. And then there’s Mittens.

This would be a way for him to play to the press and shiv Trump at the same time. Given Romney’s notorious sanctimony and ego, it may be a temptation he is unable to resist.

This piece originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.

Read more at LifeZette:
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Congressional Democrats Add Insult to Injury by Alienating Second Possible Impeachment Trial Swing Vote
Rocket Strikes U.S. Embassy in Baghdad

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