A majority of US senators on Tuesday said the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump is constitutional, despite calls from some Republicans to dismiss proceedings, reported CNN.
A simple majority was needed to determine the constitutional validity of the trial. The question was passed 56-44.
Six GOP senators voted with Democrats, establishing that the impeachment trial is constitutional. One of them, Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, was the only GOP senator to change his vote on the constitutionality of Trump's impeachment.
Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the lead impeachment manager, opened his presentation with a video showing disturbing footage of how protesters overran police and ransacked the Capitol, CNN reported.
The video was spliced with former President Trump's speech on January 6 ahead of the riots, showing the crowd's reaction to Trump as he urged them to head to the Capitol.
The Democrats' 13-minute video concluded with Trump's deleted tweet on January 6, saying that "these are the things and events that happen when a sacred landslide election victory is so unceremoniously and viciously stripped away."
On the other hand, Trump's defense team has contended that the impeachment trial itself is unconstitutional while arguing that Trump did not incite the rioters and that his speech about the election was protected by the First Amendment.
Trump's attorney Bruce Castor warned that a second impeachment trial in 13 months would "open the floodgates" to future impeachments, suggesting that former Obama administration Attorney General Eric Holder could be impeached, reported CNN.
Trump attorney David Schoen argued that the Constitution specifically states that only the current president can be convicted at an impeachment trial, according to The Hill.
The House managers and Trump's defense team are each allotted up to 16 hours spread over two days to present their cases.
Trump is facing his second impeachment trial at the Senate for his role in inciting the deadly insurrection at the Capitol last month.
( With inputs from ANI )
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