One Republican Senator Flipped His Impeachment Constitutionality Vote — Here’s Why
Previously, five Republican senators had expressed an opinion that the impeachment trial for ex-president Donald Trump was constitutional, breaking with the rest of their party. However, on Tuesday when the vote was held in the Senate, six voted to go forward. The single additional senator who flipped his vote explained why afterwards.
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) spoke to Politico‘s Burgess Everett after the vote, explaining his vote quite simply. One side, he says, made their case clearly, and the other side failed to do so at all.
Wow Cassidy absolutely goes off on Trump legal team
“The House managers were focused, they were organized … they made a compelling argument. President Trump’s team, they were disorganized, they did everything they could but to talk about the question at hand”
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) February 9, 2021
I asked him to elaborate
“Did you listen to it? OK then it speaks for itself”
“Disorganized, random. They talked about many things but they didn’t talk about the issue at hand”
— Burgess Everett (@burgessev) February 9, 2021
He’s far from the only listener to take that position. Many members of the public complained about the rambling yet still repetitive nature of the defense for Donald Trump, with even attorney Alan Dershowitz, a vocal defender of Trump and Trumpism, speaking up to say attorneys for the former president were doing a poor job.
Senator Cassidy: President Trump’s team were disorganized. pic.twitter.com/1XIHsLOZon
— Acyn Torabi (@Acyn) February 9, 2021
In an open statement reported by CNN, Cassidy reiterated the same view, saying that anyone who couldn’t understand his decision should simply listen to the oral arguments made by both sides, and recognize that the House managers made strong Constitutional arguments, while Trump’s defense did not.
Sen. Bill Cassidy: “If anyone disagrees with my vote and would like an explanation I ask them to listen to the arguments presented by the House Managers and former Pres. Trump’s lawyers. The House managers had much stronger constitutional arguments. The president’s team did not.” pic.twitter.com/9rNujZFHDR
— Phil Mattingly (@Phil_Mattingly) February 9, 2021
Cassidy’s vote, along with those of Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Ben Sasse (R-NE) and Pat Toomey (R-PA), plus all 50 combined Democrats and Independents, brought the total vote to 56 who believe that impeachment is Constitutional, and 44 who disagree.
Republicans who voted YES:
Cassidy (LA)
Collins (ME)
Murkowski (AK)
Romney (UT)
Sasse (NE)
Toomey (PA)— CSPAN (@cspan) February 9, 2021
After the vote, the Senate agreed to a recess for the rest of the day, resuming at noon on Wednesday to continue the trial proceedings.