GOP Senator: Trump ‘committed untouchable offenses’

Sen. Pat ToomeyPatrick (Pat) Joseph ToomeyThe government used the Patriot Act to collect records of website visitors in 2019 The appeals court ruled that the mass collection of telephone data from the NSA is illegal. Dunford withdraws from consideration to chair the coronavirus supervisory panel MORE (R-Pa.), Who played a leading role in opposing efforts to throw away the 2020 election results, said on Saturday President TrumpDonald TrumpMcConnell discloses procedures for Trump’s second impeachment trial Trump in the Senate suggests building his own platform after Twitter ban Poll: 18 percent of Republicans support Capitol riots MORE committed “impeachable crimes”.

“I think the president has committed offenses liable to impeachment,” Toomey said during an interview with Fox News’ The Journal Editorial Report.

Toomey is the most senior Republican on the Senate Banking Committee. He plans to retire from Congress in late 2022 to return to the private sector.

Toomey said he did not know whether the Senate would act on any impeachment articles passed by the House during the final 11 days of Trump’s term and expressed concern that Democrats might try to “politicize” the process.

“I don’t know what they are going to send, and one of the things that worries me, frankly, is whether the House will politicize something completely,” he said.

While Toomey said he believed Trump “committed crimes liable to impeachment,” he added, “I don’t know what will fall to the Senate floor, if anything.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellMcConnell discloses procedures for second impeachment trial in Trump’s Senate Top Trump official rescinds and reissues resignation letter to say exit is in protest Senate Republican Party leadership member: Impeaching Trump ‘will not happen’ MORE (R-Ky.) On Friday it distributed a memo setting out the procedures for another impeachment trial if the House votes a second time for Trump’s impeachment.

McConnell’s memo stated that while the Senate could receive a message from the House informing the upper House that it approved impeachment articles, the Senate Secretary could not notify the Senate about the message until January 19, when senators are scheduled to return of a recess.

As a result, impeachment administrators in the Chamber would not be able to display impeachment articles in the Senate plenary until January 19, unless all 100 senators agreed to allow business to take place before the end of the recess – an unlikely possibility of according to McConnell’s memo.

The Senate’s impeachment rules do not allow the upper house to begin the trial until one day after the House’s impeachment administrators display the impeachment articles, meaning that another trial could not begin before 1 pm on January 20, after Joe BidenJudge Joe BidenUS blocks the Trump administration’s restrictions on asylum eligibility McConnell discloses procedures for a second impeachment trial in the Trump Senate top Trump official ending and reissues a resignation letter to say the exit is in protest MORE is sworn in as president – unless all 100 senators agree to return early.

Two other Republican senators expressed a willingness to remove Trump from office because of what they consider their role in inciting a pro-Trump crowd that invaded the Capitol on Friday.

Sen. Ben SasseBen SasseMcConnell discloses procedures for Trump’s second Senate impeachment trial Dershowitz says he would defend Trump again in impeachment trial Pressure grows on Trump to get out MORE (R-Neb.) I told CBS This Morning that if the House comes together in an impeachment process, “I will definitely consider any articles that they may submit because, as I told you, I believe the President disregarded his oath of mandate. ”

Sasse said he “took an oath to the American people to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution” and that Trump “acted against it”.

Sen. Lisa MurkowskiLisa Ann MurkowskiMcConnell discloses procedures for Trump’s second Senate impeachment trial. Republicans warn Democrats against Trump’s impeachment again. Pressure grows for Trump to leave MORE (R-Alaska) told the Anchorage Daily News on Friday that Trump should resign.

“I want him to resign. I want him out. He’s already done enough damage, ”she said.