A Republican Senator is pushing back against his own party, saying it would be inappropriate for the GOP to bring an abrupt end to the expected impeachment trial of President Donald Trump .
Late last week, the House Judiciary Committee approved two articles of impeachment against Trump that will now be sent to the full House for a vote. The articles are expected to pass the Democratic-controlled House, sending them to the Senate for a trial that will determine whether Trump will be removed from office.
Sen. Pat Toomey, a Republican from Pennsylvania, is cautioning his party against trying to bring it to an abrupt end. Speaking on Meet the Press , Toomey pushed back against statements from some prominent Republicans that they would try to end the trial quickly and make sure Trump is acquitted.
“I think it would be extremely inappropriate to put a bullet in this thing immediately when it comes over,” Toomey said, via Talking Points Memo . “I think we ought to hear what the House impeachment managers have to say, give the President’s attorneys an opportunity to make their defense, and then make a decision about whether, and to what extent, it would go forward from there.”
His stance pushes back against public statements this week from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, two of Trump’s most fervent defenders. As The Inquisitr reported, McConnell said this week that he has been coordinating directly with the White House and that he will ensure the position of Senate Republicans is in alignment with the White House’s position.
Graham said he did not intend to be a fair and impartial juror, as Senators are called to be during impeachment proceedings. Graham said that he has been trying to”give a pretty clear signal I have made up my mind” and will not “pretend to be a fair juror” in the matter. Graham said that the impeachment proceedings are a partisan attack against Trump.
Toomey’s statement shows that the sentiment is not pervasive throughout the Republican Party. Some past reports have indicated that there may be an undercurrent of support for removing Trump from office among the GOP, but they have not spoken up.
Still, it would take a major shift among the party for Trump to be removed from office, which requires a two-thirds vote. A significant number of Republicans would need to buck their party and turn against Trump for this to happen.
