Name: McConnell gives GOP senators permission to find Donald Trump guilty
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McConnell gives GOP senators permission to find Donald Trump guilty

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&nbsp;Tuesday, Sep 13th 2022| 17kMajority Leader Mitch McConnell is telling his Republican colleagues 's impeachment trial will be a 'vote of conscience' – an absence of pressure that effectively allows them to vote guilty.&nbsp;McConnell has already communicated that he himself has not made up his mind on whether to convict Trump – following reports of his fury after a MAGA mob ransacked the Capitol, with one crowd of invaders stopped steps from McConnell's leadership office.'His message to me was this would clearly be a vote of conscience,' North Dakota Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer said. 'He's always been respectful of members that way.'&nbsp;House leaders also called the House impeachment vote this week a 'vote of conscience' – and 10 Republicans including Conference Chair Rep. Liz Cheney joined Democrats, with 232 voting to impeach Trump.In the Senate, Democrats would need at least 17 and possibly 18 Republicans to convict – putting individual senators to weigh their feelings as well as the views of some of their angry constituents - or some to simply not turn up at all; conviction is by a two-thirds majority of those who vote. 'A conviction of Trump may mean he doesn't run again, but it doesn't mean he gives up without a fight,' Cramer told .&nbsp;'All my pro-Trump Republican friends want to take my head off for not blowing up the Constitution.'&nbsp;His comments offer the first insight into the dynamics inside the 50 Senate Republicans, some of whose votes are needed by Democrats to convict Trump.Cramer said he himself did not want to vote to convict, but did not rule it out.So far the only known votes are those of Tom Cotton and Lindsey Graham, who have come out against the trial taking place at all - which it will - with Cotton saying the Senate cannot try a former president.Cramer's reference to 'wanting to take my head off' also hints at the pressure Republican senators feel under for their own safety.In the House Peter Meijer, a freshman Republican who voted to impeach, said he was buying body armor and that other Republicans were requesting armed guards when they travel.McConnell refusing to guide his caucus on how to vote allows him ample room for maneuver.Currently the Republican base is strongly pro-Trump and senators with upcoming elections in 2022 and 2024 would fear being primaried by Trump loyalists if they vote to convict.&nbsp;But the public's view of Trump is not static, and polls have showed a dip in support since Trump supporters broke windows, stole equipment, clashed with police, and took part in a riot that ended up in the deaths of five people. Washington D.C. will not be in virtual lockdown for the inauguration, with 20,000 National Guard forces securing the city for the handover.&nbsp;Seven Republican senators voted along with House members who objected to the certified electoral votes from Pennsylvania, and six did so for the votes from Arizona.&nbsp;&nbsp;Cramer, along with most of his colleagues, voted to count the votes that made Joe Biden the winner.&nbsp;Cramer, who like almost all Republicans backed Trump throughout his stormy tenure, said he didn't want to vote to convict but might vote to prohibit him from holding any office of public trust after the MAGA riot in the Capitol.That question, which comes on a majority vote following conviction, has major political implications both for the nation and for the party, with several political rivals to Trump in 2024 holding seats in the chamber.Two of them, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Ted Cruz of Texas, were leaders of the effort to toss out votes, and stood by their position even after rioters trashed the Capitol.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;shares&nbsp;How other senators vote is harder to tell.McConnell is not up for re-election until 2026, when he would be 84 and he is not alone in being unlikely or certain not to run again.Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania who is not running previously called for Trump to resign.The other two oldest Republicans are Richard Shelby of Alabama and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, who are both beloved among their states' Republican base and at best not certain to run again.Trump also offended Ben Sasse, Lisa Murkowski and John Thune, and none feel personal loyalty.Mitt Romney is a sworn enemy, although he has not stated his position.&nbsp;&nbsp;Democrats want to use senators' own experience of being rushed off the floor by armed guards and taken to safe rooms to build the case for conviction.&nbsp;Ahead of opening arguments, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California, another impeachment manager, suggested senators will be asked to focus on their own experiences the day of the attack.'You don´t have to tell anyone who was in the building twice what it was like to be terrorized,' Swalwell said.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Share what you thinkThe comments below have not been moderated.The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.We are no longer accepting comments on this article.Published by Associated Newspapers LtdPart of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday &amp; Metro Media Group&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;Tuesday, Sep 13th 2022| 17kMajority Leader Mitch McConnell is telling his Republican colleagues 's impeachment trial will be a 'vote of conscience' – an absence of pressure that effectively allows them to vote guilty.&nbsp;McConnell has already communicated that he himself has not made up his mind on whether to convict Trump – following reports of his fury after a MAGA mob ransacked the Capitol, with one crowd of invaders stopped steps from McConnell's leadership office.'His message to me was this would clearly be a vote of conscience,' North Dakota Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer said....

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McConnell gives GOP senators permission to find Donald Trump guilty

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