45 GOP senators including McConnell vote to toss Trump impeachment trial as unconstitutional

WASHINGTON — Forty-five Republican Senators on Tuesday voted that former President Donald Trump’s upcoming impeachment trial is unconstitutional, suggesting that he will almost certainly be acquitted for a second time.

GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky forced a Senate vote on a motion to dismiss the trial, arguing the impeachment proceedings would be unconstitutional since Trump is now a private citizen.

The vast majority of Republicans in the upper chamber, 45 of them, agreed, including Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who has criticized Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6 siege🐎 ܫon the US Capitol that he is accused of inciting.

The Senate requires a two-thirds majorꦜity to convict, meaning 17 Republicans would need to vote with Democrats — a seemingly unlikely outcome as t☂he Tuesday day vote indicates.

Just five Republican Senators broke with their party on Tuesday afternoon and voted with Democrats to🐬 allow President Trump’s impeachment trial to proceed, but  the Paul measure was still blocked on a 55-45♌ vote.

GOP Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Pat Toomey of Penns🌸ylvania, who is serving his last term, crossed the aisle.

Romney was the only Republican to vote to convict Trump on the abuse of power charge during hi✃s previous impeachment trial.

Ten GOP lawmakers also sided with Democrats to impeach Trump in the House in a 232-197 vote on Jan. 13.  

Despite the motion being blocked, Republicans are considering Tuesday’s defeat a victory.

If less than 34 lawmakers si🦹ded with Paul, it would have sugges﷽ted that Trump may have been convicted, but he easily reached that threshold.

Paul told reporters that the vote meant the impeachment trial would be “dead on arrival.”

In a fiery speech on the Senate ꦰfloor Tuesday, Paul said Democrats’ calls for unity were hollow and that the impeachment of a former president and private citizen were “the antithesis of unity.”

“Private citizens don’t get impeached; impeachment is for removal from office. And the accused here has already left office,🔯” Paul said.

“Hyper-partisan Democrats are about to drag our great country down into the gutter of rancor𒆙 and vitriol the likes of which has never been seen in our nation’s history,” he went on.

All 100 Senators were sworn-in on Tuesday afternoon as jurors in Trump’s second impeachment trial which will be overseen by Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and not Supreme Court Justice John Roberts since Trump is no longer pre♛sident.