Sen. Marco Rubio displeased about Senate impeachment trial moving forward

Author: CBSMiami Staff
Published: Updated:
Marco Rubio. (Credit: CBS News)
Sen. Marco Rubio (Credit: CBS News)

The second U.S. Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump got underway Tuesday.

Senate Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy is presiding over the proceedings.

It began with the chaplain leading the Senate in prayer and then the pledge of allegiance. The acting Senate sergeant-at-arms Jennifer Hemingway also read a proclamation.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer introduced a resolution on the rules of the impeachment trial.

It was passed by a vote of 89 to 11.

The big focus of day one will be whether the constitution allows Congress to impeach a president after he’s left office.

Before the proceeding got underway, Senator Marco Rubio expressed his displeasure that it was moving forward via video.

“There isn’t a single American that’s going to get a vaccine because of this impeachment trial. There isn’t a single American that’s going to find a job because of this impeachment trial. There isn’t a single thing that’s going to happen to make us safer from the threat of China from this impeachment trial,” Rubio said.

He added that those were the things that lawmakers should be working on. Getting more vaccines, getting the economy growing, and getting people back to work instead of holding a trial to impeach a president who’s no longer in office.

Trump was impeached by the House on January 13 on one count of “incitement of insurrection” for his conduct in the lead-up to the January 6 attack on the Capitol.

A CBS News poll out Tuesday morning showed a majority of Americans, 56 percent, believe the Senate should convict former President Trump, but only 17 percent of Republicans agree.

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