/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/60248ff75696bd2f2640c11e/0x0.jpg?cropX1=0&cropX2=5040&cropY1=525&cropY2=3360&w=1200&resize=1200,675&ssl=1 "GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy Says Trump’s Lawyers ‘Effectively Conceded’ Impeachment Is Constitutional")
Topline
After earning scorn from members of his own party, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) on Wednesday defended his vote to proceed with former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, stating he found Democrats’ arguments on the trial’s constitutionality more convincing and that he felt Trump’s lawyers — whose performance was widely panned — “effectively conceded the point.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) speaks to reporters on his way to the second day of former President … [+]
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Key Facts
On Tuesday, Cassidy was one of just six Senate Republicans who voted with Democrats to find Trump’s impeachment trial constitutional, and he was the only Republican to change his mind after voting last month to dismiss the trial on constitutional grounds.
In a video posted to Twitter on Wednesday, Cassidy explained his change of heart by saying Democratic impeachment managers “made it clear” that trying a former president is constitutional, whereas Trump’s defense attorneys did not seem to rebut their arguments, a move the senator blamed on a possible last-minute change in strategy.
Similarly, Cassidy blasted Trump’s lawyers on Tuesday, calling their arguments “terrible” and promising: “As an impartial juror, I’m gonna vote for the side that did the good job.”
Chief Critic
Cassidy’s vote — which placed him at odds with Trump and most congressional Republicans — drew swift criticism from some Louisianans. The state GOP said it was “profoundly disappointed” in his decision, and the local Republican committee in Cassidy’s home parish voted to censure him.
Crucial Quote
“There are those who think that I should put President Trump above the Constitution,” Cassidy said in the video defending his vote. “That’s not conservativism, that is not Republicanism, and I reject it.”
Key Background
Many Republicans have argued Trump’s impeachment trial is unnecessary and legally dubious because Trump has already left office, a theory Democrats have rejected on historical and constitutional grounds. House Democrats and Trump’s defense team argued about this issue on Tuesday ahead of a vote on constitutionality, and some Trump allies were perplexed and disappointed by the former president’s lawyers’ meandering performance.
What To Watch For
Cassidy told reporters Tuesday that his vote on the trial’s constitutionality doesn’t necessarily mean he will vote to convict Trump, insisting he has not made up his mind yet. Every Senate Democrat plus 17 Republicans would need to vote in favor of conviction for Trump to be found guilty, a hurdle most observers believe is next to insurmountable.
Further Reading
Sen. Bill Cassidy Censured By His Hometown Republican Party Chapter For Vote On Trump Trial (Forbes)
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