Senate votes to proceed with impeachment trial, claims jurisdiction
WASHINGTON (Fort Wayne's NBC) - By a vote of 56-44, senators on Tuesday allowed the impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump to proceed.
The vote was on the question of jurisdiction for such proceedings, which -- for the first time ever -- center on the actions of a president who is no longer in office.
Six Republicans voted with 50 Democrats (and Democrat-leaning independents) to proceed with the impeachment trial.
They were:
- Sen. Bill Cassidy
- Sen. Susan Collins
- Sen. Lisa Murkowski
- Sen. Mitt Romney
- Sen. Ben Sasse
- Sen. Pat Toomey
The vote followed a presentation by Trump's attorneys, who argued that the Senate proceedings are unconstitutional.
