10 PM, February 9 — Day 1

Today, the Senate began the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. The House impeached Trump on January 13 for inciting the Capitol insurrection of January 6th, and the articles of impeachment have now come to the Senate. It was the first day of the process, a day of introductory statements and preliminary information. There was a 4 hour debate on whether the trial would be Constitutional or not, and a majority of the Senate was required to vote to proceed. Many Republican senators argued that the trial would be unconstitutional because it is convicting a Former President, yet Rep. Joe Neguse spoke to the interpretation that the Constitution did not outline such rules.

Lead House Impeachment Manager Jamie Raskin went through every detail in his speech on the Senate floor this afternoon. Rep. Raskin and two other impeachment managers, David Cicilline and Joe Neguse, spoke on the Senate floor, trying to capture the minds of senators into voting for conviction. On the other hand, the Trump defendants asserted that the Democrats are shattering hopes for unity with this trial. They also said that the American people already voted in favor of a new President, so why would they vote for Trump if he is ever on the ballot again? This refers to the statement in the Constitution that says a majority of the Senate can vote on “disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honour, trust, or profit under the United States.” But the most common argument they made was that it was unconstitutional for a conviction to happen after an elected official leaves office. Rep. Joe Neguse rebutted this statement by bringing up the last time this happened, with a member of President Ulysses Grant’s administration. 

At the end, Lead House Impeachment Manager, Rep. Raskin, spoke about what the violence and bloodshed during the insurrection meant to him. He specifically mentioned the pressure that was on him and his family on January 6th in the Capitol, in addition to the death of his son who took his own life on New Year’s Eve. Ultimately, a vote took place on whether the trial was Constitutional or not, which would decide whether the trial would continue. Among all the Democrats, 6 Republicans also voted for the resolution. The five Republicans that were expected to vote for this and did were Sen. Romney, Sen. Murkowski, Sen. Collins, Sen. Toomey and Sen. Sasse. The one surprise was Sen. Cassidy, who, previously, did not mention he would vote this way. The vote ended 56-44, giving the green light for the rest of the trial. The trial is set to continue tomorrow. 

More information will come as the tension in Washington keeps on rising.

You can watch the whole first day here on Senate.gov.