House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told reporters Thursday the upcoming impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump is about the “protection of the constitution and the preservation of our republic.”
The 80-year-old California lawmaker made the remarks while speaking to reporters during Thursday’s press conference, explaining that Democrats will “insist upon the integrity and fairness of the proceedings” while recognizing the role that the Senate plays.
“No one is above the law. Not even a President of the United States,” she said, maintaining Trump must be “tried and convicted to ensure that no future president will ever think it’s ok to incite insurrection” and “to stop the ascertainment of who the next president of the United States will be” with inflammatory rhetoric.
The House impeached Trump this month following the January 6 Capitol protests with support from ten GOP senators, including Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), who has since seen her political support collapse in the Cowboy State.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) made waves this week after raising constitutional concerns over the upcoming impeachment trial, concluding the proceedings reflect nothing more than a “partisan exercise designed to further divide the country.”
Forty-five GOP senators, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), formally questioned the legitimacy of the trial. Such support effectively makes the trial “dead on arrival” in the Senate, as Paul said, as 67 votes are needed to convict Trump for incitement of insurrection:
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) revealed this month that Democrats are primarily focused on preventing Trump from running for office in the future, telling colleagues that he should “not be eligible to run for office ever again.”
“Let me be clear: There will be an impeachment trial in the United States Senate. There will be a vote on convicting the president for high crimes and misdemeanors,” he said.
“If the president is convicted, there will be a vote on barring him again,” the New York Democrat added.
The impeachment trial is expected to begin the week of February 8.