DAY 1: Impeachment Trial Puts Trump Back on Center Stage for GOP; Senate Approves Trump Impeachment Trial; Six Republicans Join Democrats, and related stories

Impeachment Trial Puts Trump Back on Center Stage for GOP

Senate Republicans face another public test of loyalty to the former president, with their base voters watching closely

A reporter couldn’t even finish saying former President Donald Trump’s name before Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas) interrupted mid-question.

“So, Donald—”

“We’re still doing that?” said Mr. Cornyn, cutting off a TV journalist asking about developments ahead of Mr. Trump’s Senate trial.

Nearly three weeks after President Biden stepped into the Oval Office, Republicans are still adjusting to life being shut out of power in the White House and both chambers of Congress for the first time since 2010. Republicans on Capitol Hill, where the Senate is beginning on Tuesday its second impeachment trial of Mr. Trump in two years, continue to hone what the GOP represents with Mr. Trump out of office but broadly popular among the party rank and file.

They have found functional upsides. Republicans are for the first time in four years living without fear of presidential tweets inviting primary election challenges, or having to comment on his often controversial pronouncements. “Members definitely don’t miss it,” said one GOP Senate aide. Some Republican lawmakers and strategists are privately hoping that Mr. Trump’s exile from Twitter might make it easier for the party to move on from him to focus on the policy issues at hand—and on countering Mr. Biden.

But the start of Mr. Trump’s trial this week not only has kept the former president at the forefront of the Washington agenda but also means Senate Republicans face another public test of their loyalty to him, with their base voters watching closely. —>READ MORE HERE

Senate approves Trump impeachment trial; six Republicans join Democrats:

The Senate voted on Tuesday to proceed with the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump for inciting the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, brushing aside complaints by Mr. Trump’s defense lawyers that Democrats are waging an unconstitutional effort to bar him from a political comeback and to disenfranchise his supporters.

After a sometimes emotional four hours of debate, senators voted 56-44 that it’s constitutional to put the former president on trial. Six Republicans joined all 50 Democrats in agreeing to move forward with the heart of the case, beginning Wednesday.

The six Republicans who voted in favor of the trial were Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. —>READ MORE HERE

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