Vice President Mike Pence administers the oath of office to Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) during a reenactment ceremony in the Old Senate Chamber at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 3, 2021. (Samuel Corum/Pool via AP)
An increasing number of Republican senators are voicing opposition to holding an impeachment trial against former President Donald Trump, leaving Democrats’ ability to swing enough votes for a conviction in doubt.
Twenty-nine GOP senators have now spoken out against holding a trial, according to an Epoch Times tally, arguing it’s unconstitutional to try to convict a former office holder, or a waste of time.
“I think right now Donald Trump is no longer the president. He is a former president,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, arguing parts of the Constitution say lawmakers can impeach a president but they do not indicate “that you can impeach someone who is not in office.”
“The first chance I get to vote to end this trial, I’ll do it,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) added on “Fox News Sunday.”