The current impeachment effort against former President Donald Trump is likely to end with the Senate acquitting him of the charge of “incitement of insurrection.”
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told reporters “do the math” on whether there were enough votes to meet the 67-vote threshold to convict Trump on the impeachment charge.
“I think it’s extraordinarily unlikely that the president will be convicted,” she added.
Sen. Susan Collins, one of five Republicans who voted with Dems on today's motion about the Constitutionality of the trial of former President Trump, tells reporters "do the math. I think it's extraordinarily unlikely that the president will be convicted." in an impeachment trial
— Lauren Fox (@FoxReports) January 26, 2021
Collins’ comments come after 45 Republican senators voted to declare the impeachment trial unconstitutional, as IJR reported.
The Maine senator was one of five Republicans to vote against the measure.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who also opposed the measure, told reporters, “Everyone was quite surprised… to take a vote on this today… I don’t feel like I was as prepared as I wanted.”
“The question deserved more considered review by us,” she added.
Sen. Murkowski said of today's vote on Constitutionality question of convicting an ex-President
— Lauren Fox (@FoxReports) January 26, 2021
"Everyone was quite surprised…to take a vote on this today." "I don't feel like I was as prepared as I wanted."
"The question deserved more considered review by us, the Senate."
President Joe Biden said he believes the impeachment trial “has to happen.” However, he said he does not believe that enough Republicans will vote to convict Trump.
Democrats currently hold 50-seats and would need 17 Republicans to break with the party to vote to convict Trump.
In 2020, every Democrat voted to convict Trump on two articles of impeachment. Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) was the sole Republican to vote to convict Trump on an impeachment charge.
Trump is the first president to have been impeached twice and face a trial after he leaves office.
The impeachment trial is expected to begin on February 9.