Former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial begins on Tuesday with up to four hours of debate on whether a former president who was impeached while he was still in office can be prosecuted when he is no longer in the White House.
The impeachment trial will continue on Wednesday, with each side getting up to 16 hours to present their case, if a majority of Senators agree later today that Trump can be convicted as a former president.
Stay tuned to Breitbart News for live updates.
All times Eastern.
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5:10 PM: Senate will proceed with the impeachment trial after a 56-44 vote.
Sen. Cassidy (R-LA) joins Sens. Romney (R-UT), Collins (R-ME), Toomey (R-PA), Murkowski (R-AK), Sasse (R-NE). All Democrats vote to proceed.
5:01 PM: Raskin now back up for Democrats, and he says this is the most bipartisan impeachment ever. He says he doesn’t have any further arguments to make after Trump’s team’s presentation. Raskin waives the 30+ minutes they had reserved after Trump’s team’s presentation. Roll call to see if there are 51 votes to continue with the trial.
4:42 PM: Schoen argues only presidents can be impeached/convicted because only current presidents can be removed from office.
4:22 PM: Schoen says the Senate does not have jurisdiction because Trump is “no longer president.” He tries to make the case that Pelosi deprived Trump of his due process rights (having Chief Justice Roberts presiding).
Schoen says House held the impeachment articles and forced "intentional delay"
But it was actually McConnell telling Schumer he wasn't going to bring Senate back from recess, in order to give Trump due process and because McConnell didn't think trial could be completed by 1/20
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) February 9, 2021
4:12 PM: Schoen speaking out against an “ill-advised” impeachment process that was flawed.
Schoen … pic.twitter.com/Et33Kqdcgj
— Howard Mortman (@HowardMortman) February 9, 2021
3:55 PM: Schoen says the trial will tear the country apart because people will see it as a group of partisans trying to eliminate Trump.
3:47 PM: Castor now ready to pass the baton to David Schoen to talk about jurisdiction. He says they changed the order of the presentation because the House Mangers made a great presentation.
Defense team for fmr. President Trump challenges trial constitutionality: "President Trump no longer is in office. The object of the Constitution has been achieved. He was removed by the voters." pic.twitter.com/K3hvB32EeQ
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 9, 2021
3:45 PM: Castor, after rambling about all sorts of things, says the House Managers are “brilliant speakers,” but they are here because they are “afraid of the American people” and don’t want Trump to ever run for office again.
"We are really here because the majority in the House of Representatives does not want to face Donald Trump as a political rival in the future," Trump impeachment lawyer Bruce Castor argues. https://t.co/tpW7rrCNnD #impeachmenttrial pic.twitter.com/JrO8Uz3Zoj
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 9, 2021
3:05 PM: Trial continues as Bruce Castor, representing former president Trump, begins his presentation.
NOT A GREAT START: Former President TRUMP's defense lawyer, BRUCE CASTOR, introduces himself as the "lead prosecutor," before laughing & correcting himself.
— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) February 9, 2021
2:55 PM: Biden not watching impeachment trial.
When asked about former Pres. Trump's second impeachment trial, Pres. Biden says his "job" is to focus on the pandemic: "The Senate has their job…I'm sure they're gonna conduct themselves well." https://t.co/61NdpOyyvn pic.twitter.com/w0UbvDR0vl
— ABC News (@ABC) February 9, 2021
2:42 PM: Senate now in 10-minute recess. Raskin reserves time for Democrats.
2:33 PM: Raskin concludes by saying he hopes the trial reminds America how personal democracy is and how personal the loss of democracy is too.
Raskin breaks down recounting how his daughter told her she doesn't want to come to the Capitol again after she was there for the insurrection pic.twitter.com/9murvIl6w5
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) February 9, 2021
Raskin chokes up telling how his daughter, after being rescued from the Capitol, said, “Dad I don’t want to come back to the Capitol.” Says that of all the things he saw and heard that day that hit him the hardest.
— Philip Gourevitch (@PGourevitch) February 9, 2021
2:28 PM: Cicilline making the case that Trump was impeached for inciting an armed attack on the Capitol. He says Trump was singularly responsible for the insurrection He says Trump’s lawyers are wrong to argue that Senators should move on and says Trump sided with the insurrectionists.
House impeachment manager Rep. David Cicilline: "This was a disaster of historic proportion…and make no mistake about it, as you think about that day, things could have been much worse. As one senator said, they could have killed all of us." https://t.co/tpW7rrCNnD pic.twitter.com/hewwf0uciC
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) February 9, 2021
2:10 PM: Rep. Cicilline (D-RI) now up for the House Democrats. He says impeachment exists to protect our constitutional system and safeguard our democracy. He says things could have been much worse on January 6 as the rioters/mob “could have killed” all of them. He says Trump was impeached while in office for conduct while in office. House Managers intent on proving Trump was solely responsible for the insurrection.
Rep. Cicilline: "Every time I read that tweet it chills me to the core." pic.twitter.com/4Wk4TYhy9q
— Eric Columbus (@EricColumbus) February 9, 2021
2:01 PM: Neguse warns that if Trump is right, officials could commit the most heinous offenses and just resign before the House impeaches or during the Senate trial if it is not going their way. He says it will put wrongdoers in charge of whether the Senate can convict.
Rep. Joe Neguse says if officials can't face impeachment out of office, they could resign during their own trial to escape punishment: "That would effectively erase disqualification from the Constitution. It would put wrongdoers in charge of whether the Senate can try them." pic.twitter.com/UOkCinc4hu
— CBS News (@CBSNews) February 9, 2021
1:53 PM: Neguse citing conservative scholars, including Judge Michael McConnell and Charles Cooper, who have argued that the Senate has the power to try Trump’s impeachment.
I didn't see anyone have a visceral reaction, but it was clear that everyone was transported to that day. It was absolutely silent when it video ended. Sounds of a pen dropping, a binder clicking, and a senator coughing all seemed incredibly loud and jarring in that silence.
— Grace Segers (@Grace_Segers) February 9, 2021
1:43 PM: Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO) now up for House Democrats. He says the Senate has found on multiple occasions that someone can be tried after leaving office.
Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO) on the constitutionality of former Pres. Trump's second Senate impeachment trial:
"There is no January exception to the impeachment power, that presidents can't commit grave offenses in their final days and escape any congressional response." pic.twitter.com/wwCbWgaNpl
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) February 9, 2021
1:39 PM: Rasksin says Trump may not know a lot about the Framers, but they certainly knew a lot about him after saying that all impeachments in the “Framers’ lifetime” dealt “former officials.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin plays extended sequence of videos from violent Capitol siege: "The president was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives on January 13th for doing that…If that's not an impeachable offense, then there is no such thing." https://t.co/Lau7kmD368 pic.twitter.com/uhwcYK53uI
— ABC News (@ABC) February 9, 2021
1:32 PM: After video of rioters storming the Capitol, Raskin says if that is not an impeachable offense, nothing is. He says Trump started a “violent insurrection” and he wants the Senate to decide that it is powerless. “That can’t be right,” he says.
WATCH: Senate Impeachment Trial: January 6 Video Montage https://t.co/T1xAldzxDK pic.twitter.com/soRwrAbOnV
— CSPAN (@cspan) February 9, 2021
The Impeachment Managers' video evidence includes a rioter shouting, "where the fuck are they."
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 9, 2021
1:16 PM: Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the lead House manager, is up first. Raskin says their case is “all about the facts” and he won’t be lecturing on the Federalist Papers. He accuses Trump’s lawyers of wanting to prevent facts from being heard. He says their argument is that if you commit an impeachable offense in the last weeks of office, you do it with constitutional impunity. He says this “January exception” is the Founders’ worst nightmare and will give a president a free shot to do anything on his way out the door, including using violent means to lock it.
Rep. Jamie Raskin: "A January exception. And everyone can see immediately why this is so dangerous. It's an invitation to the president to take his best shot at anything he may want to do on his way out the door, including using violent means to lock that door." pic.twitter.com/5nhogjdJ8p
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) February 9, 2021
Raskin warns about how Jan. 6 could be the future and plays a clip of Trump telling his supporters that he would walk down to the Capitol with them (Trump scurried back to his limo and back to the White House and never went to the Capitol). He plays video of rioters calling cops “pigs” (“fuck the pigs”) and storming the Capitol building.
Lead Impeachment Manager Rep. Jamie Raskin is using graphics like this to make his point about the constitutionality of the second impeachment trial of former Pres. Trump. pic.twitter.com/mfZQWrsYfz
— Gary Grumbach (@GaryGrumbach) February 9, 2021
The #Jan6 organizers were Trump supporters. They attacked the Capitol to stop the Electoral College certification & interrupt the constitutional transition of presidential power, emboldened by lies about a stolen election and hope they could stop the steal on Jan 6. Enough lies. https://t.co/EfahAL2HgN
— Rep. Peter Meijer (@RepMeijer) February 9, 2021
1:15 PM: After resolution is agreed to, House managers get two hours to make their case for constitutionality.
1:05 PM:
Leahy says: “I did not ask or seek to preside over this trial.” pic.twitter.com/zNIFXC9JAi
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 9, 2021
1:02 PM: Warren focusing on barring Trump from holding office again:
Former President Trump incited a mob of white nationalists and domestic terrorists to attack the US Capitol and try to overturn the election. I hope you’ll watch the impeachment trial this week to see why he must be held accountable and barred from ever holding office again. https://t.co/MoIukQ4bbp
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) February 9, 2021
1:01 PM: Impeachment trial about to get started.
12:59 PM: Still undecided on witnesses.
House impeachment managers remain undecided on witnesses https://t.co/pltOExRzMz
— Scott Wong (@scottwongDC) February 9, 2021
12:55 PM: National Guard patrol as impeachment trial is about to start.
Members of the National Guard patrol at the U.S. Capitol as the second impeachment trial of former Pres. Trump is set to get underway. https://t.co/7b1YAZRViI #ImpeachmentTrial pic.twitter.com/LdDFE7TcZz
— ABC News (@ABC) February 9, 2021
12:50 PM: Pelosi: Dems will be defending democracy:
Speaker Pelosi to House Democrats ahead of today’s 1pm Senate impeachment trial start: “Today is an important day in the life of our Country. In the Senate, our House Managers, under Congressman Jamie Raskin’s leadership, will be defending the Constitution and our Democracy.”
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) February 9, 2021
12:45 PM: RNC on former president Trump’s second impeachment trial. Quotes Lincoln:
Today Senate Democrats could be working with Republicans on the issues Americans actually care about, but instead they are moving ahead with yet another politically-motivated impeachment trial, this time of a president who is no longer in office.
While the eventual outcome of this impeachment trial is not in question, the credibility of Democrats’ calls for unity is. This unconstitutional exercise may unite Democrat leaders around their hatred of President Trump, but it will only further divide our nation at a time when we desperately need unity.
President Abraham Lincoln famously said ‘a house divided against itself cannot stand.’ President Biden should heed Lincoln’s words and urge Senate Democrats to drop this partisan charade so the People’s House can get back to doing the people’s business and we can bring our country together.
12:42 PM: Dems will have backup plans:
A majority of Americans want to bar former Pres. Trump from office. https://t.co/WDh3Fovhp4 pic.twitter.com/VvAZteh3HY
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) February 9, 2021
Late-night calls between congressional staff and constitutional scholars. Tense exchanges between party lawyers on the best path forward. Democrats are quietly debating a draft resolution to bar Trump from future office if the Senate fails to convict him. https://t.co/RdZhnqLKlV
— Michael Wilner (@mawilner) February 8, 2021
12:40 PM:
Senate leaders revised the impeachment trial organizing resolution expected to be approved after 1pm when the trial resumes. The Friday night-Saturday break for Shabbat is no longer included in the resolution, but the trial still may resume at 2pm on Sunday if needed. pic.twitter.com/UxDgNeOAVP
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) February 9, 2021
12:35 PM:
Inbox: Senator Kevin Cramer calling the impeachment trial of Trump stupid and disgusting before it starts. pic.twitter.com/A8fZCeP8gy
— Steven Dennis (@StevenTDennis) February 9, 2021
JUST IN: The House's reply to Trump's brief offers a succinct distillation of their case:
-He spent months whipping supporters into a lather
-He knew they were primed for violence and used charged language on Jan. 6
-He delayed aid to the Capitol after violence broke out. pic.twitter.com/VR4NeIQnlX
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) February 9, 2021
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