WASHINGTON (AP) – Almost every Senate jury has said they will listen to the evidence in Donald Trump’s historic second impeachment trial, but most of the decisions were likely before the trial began. Democrats would need a minimum of 17 Republicans to vote with them to condemn Trump for inciting insurgency, and that seems unlikely.
Still, Democrats say they hope they’ll win enough Republicans to condemn the former president for his role in the January 6 Capitol riots that killed five people. If Trump were convicted, the Senate could hold a second vote to ban him from running again. A final vote is likely to be on Saturday.
Here’s a look at the Republicans watching the Democrats as they bring up the latest arguments in the case:
THE FREQUENT TRUMP CRITICS
Republican sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Mitt Romney of Utah and Susan Collins of Maine have made it clear that they believe Trump instigated the riots on January 6. twice joined Democrats to vote against GOP’s efforts to dismiss the process.
Collins said after the riots that Trump “has the responsibility of working up the crowd and inciting it.” Murkowski called on Trump to resign following the attack on the Capitol and told a local newspaper three days later, “I want him out. He’s done enough damage. ”
Romney tweeted Jan. 6, “What happened at the Capitol today was an uprising instigated by the President of the United States.” During the trial, Democrats showed a video of Romney narrowly escaping the crowd, being diverted by a Capitol Police officer as he unknowingly ran toward the violent crowd.
Sasse said Trump had “lied” to Americans and the “consequences can now be found in five dead Americans and one Capitol in ruins.” In a recent video, he said Republican politics shouldn’t be about “one guy’s weird worship.”
Murkowski, Collins and Sasse voted to acquit Trump during his first impeachment trial, in which Democrats charged that he had abused his power by urging Ukraine’s president to investigate then-candidate Joe Biden. Romney was the GOP’s only guilty vote, which left Democrats far from being convicted.
ISSUED
Pennsylvania Senator Pat Toomey, who will retire from the Senate in 2022, has also voted twice with the Democrats to move forward with the process. Like Murkowski, he called for Trump’s resignation after the riots, saying it would be the best way to “get this person in the rearview mirror for us.” Toomey had also aggressively pushed back on Trump’s false claims that he won Pennsylvania and other states in the election.
Three other GOP senators have said they will not flee in two years, potentially allowing them to vote freely against Trump and anger-based voters in the party – Ohio Senator Rob Portman, North Carolina Senator Richard Burr and Alabama Senator Richard Shelby. All three voted to dismiss the trial, but Portman says he is still open to conviction.
Burr said on Thursday that he would not comment at all on the trial. Shelby said this week that impeachment managers had a “strong point” that Trump could have acted earlier to stop the violence, but insisted the trial is unconstitutional because Trump is now absent.
CASSIDY AS WILD CARD
Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, who won re-election by a wide margin in 2020, voted two weeks ago for an attempt by the GOP to dismiss the trial. But he took a different vote this week, saying Trump’s lawyers had done a “ terrible ” job of claiming the trial was unconstitutional.
Cassidy, who made extensive notes during the trial, said on Friday that the managers had asked some “intriguing questions” during their two-day argument. He said he hoped Trump’s lawyers would answer them thoroughly and that he “tries to take an objective approach.”
During the question-and-answer session of the trial on Friday afternoon, Cassidy asked Trump’s lawyers about a conversation the then president had with Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville on Jan. 6, just after Vice President Mike Pence was evacuated from the Senate. Tuberville says he told Trump that Pence had been taken away, making it clear that Trump was likely aware of the danger at the time, even though he subsequently tweeted criticism of Pence for not trying to reverse the election. Cassidy asked the lawyers if it showed that Trump was “tolerant of the harassment of Vice President Pence?”
Attorney Michael van der Veen dismissed Tuberville’s story as “ rumors, ” an answer Cassidy later said was not enough.
THUNE TAKES HEAT FROM TRUMP
South Dakota Senate John Thune, the Senate’s second Republican, rejected Trump’s attempts to challenge the certification of President Biden’s election victory. He predicted the effort would “end like a shot dog” in the Senate.
That comment drew furious reaction from the former president, who urged Governor Kristi Noem to act against Thune in a GOP primary, an idea she immediately rejected.
Nevertheless, Thune has voted twice to dismiss the case. He said on Friday that he had an open mind and indicated that he could be open to censure if Trump is acquitted.
“I know a few of my colleagues who have seen at least some New Year’s resolutions that I think could get some support,” said Thune.
EYES ON McCONNELL
Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell has voted twice to dismiss the trial, indicating that he will ultimately vote for acquittal. But he has also said Trump “ provoked ” the crowd, which “ fed lies. ”
Shortly after the attack, McConnell privately told his associates he was done with Trump and publicly said he was undecided about impeachment. He told Republicans the decision on Trump’s guilt is a vote of conscience.
His neutral stance is in stark contrast to his management of the first trial, when he largely protected Trump and backed out against the Democrats’ pleas for witnesses.