The 56-44 vote, which fell largely along partisan lines, made history but did not shift expectations that Trump ultimately will be acquitted after being impeached by the House for a second time in the span of 13 months, yet another asterisk for the record books.
Convicting Trump would require a two-thirds majority in the 50-50 Senate. If every Democrat voted to convict the former president of inciting insurrection against the U.S. government on Jan. 6 at the Capitol, 17 Republicans would have to embrace the Democrats’ arguments and the punishment. That will not happen, senators in both parties agree (The Hill).
Only six Republican senators joined Democrats to vote in favor of allowing the trial to proceed after an afternoon that included dramatic video presented by House Democrats who serve as prosecutors (pictured above) and what even Trump defenders panned as wobbly counter-arguments from Trump lawyer