Growing number of Senate Republicans supporting Trump ahead of impeachment trial

Republican members of the Senate are increasingly declaring their support for former President Donald Trump as the chamber of Congress is set to hold an impeachment trial for allegedly inciting an insurrection, Chicago Tribune reports.

Trump was impeached earlier this month by the House of Representatives under accusations that he encouraged and incited the rioters who stormed the US Capitol on Jan 6. Mostly Democrats voted to impeach Trump for the incident, with a few Republicans joining in, but most Republicans have rejected the impeachment charges, suggesting either that the riot at the Capitol was not an insurrection or that Trump did not directly incite the crowd, even if he had riled them up.

Trump has since left office as his term came to a close, but Democratic lawmakers are still seeking to impeach the ex-President to ensure that he is unable to run for office again. While some have speculated that Senate Republicans would join in to bar Trump from public office permanently, a growing number of Republican Senators are expressing opposition to the measure.

"I think the trial is stupid, I think it’s counterproductive," said Florida Senator Marco Rubio. He suggested that impeachment would only enflame partisan tensions rather than heal the deeply divided country.

Other Republicans, such as Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton, have gone further than Rubio, questioning the constitutionality of the impeachment proceedings. The constitution does not say anything about impeaching a President who has left office.

"I think a lot of Americans are going to think it's strange that the Senate is spending its time trying to convict and remove from office a man who left office a week ago," Cotton said. He also suggested that his Republican colleagues are increasingly uncomfortable with the proceedings, stating "the more I talk to other Republican senators, the more they’re beginning to line up."

South Dakota Senator Mike Rounds said that he believes the trial to be a "moot point," and that Democrats will "have a very difficult time in trying to get done within the Senate."

Meanwhile, Senator John Cornyn of Texas took to Twitter to express his opposition to impeachment. "If it is a good idea to impeach and try former Presidents, what about former Democratic Presidents when Republicans get the majority in 2022? Think about it and let’s do what is best for the country."

Some speculate that Utah Senator Mitt Romney, the 2012 presidential candidate for the Republican party, will be the sole Republican to cast a vote to convict Trump of inciting an insurrection.

Romney was the only Republican who voted to convict Trump of impeachment charges by the House earlier in 2020, when he was accused of abuse of power for allegedly pressuring the Ukrainian government to investigate Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden under the threat of withholding foreign aid. He was also accused of obstruction of Congress for his handling of the investigation.

Others have also speculated that Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will vote to convict Donald Trump, having said previously that Trump was responsible for riling up the crowd that eventually stormed the Capitol. McConnell refused to call back the Senate for conviction proceedings, however, casting doubt on whether he will choose to do so.

If convicted, Trump would be the first President in American history to be both impeached and convicted by Congress. He was the third President to be impeached, and the most recent since Bill Clinton's impeachment for obstruction of justice after he lied to Congress about his relationship with Monika Lewinsky.