尽管川普总统已经离任，但参议院仍决定在2月展开弹劾聆讯。对此，有多名共和党参议员质疑弹劾不合宪法，且弹劾的程序操之过急。共和党领导层更是批评，弹劾案只是报复川普，并认为通过的机会为零。

发表： 2021-01-25 09:14:11 | 更新： 2021-02-27 10:26:54

民主党控制的众议院1月22日拒绝了共和党参议院少数党领袖提出的推迟弹劾要求，将于25日向参议院递交针对前总统川普的第二次弹劾指控。

众议院在13日基本按照党派路线进行投票，以232对197票通过弹劾议案，指川普煽动暴民1月6日袭击国会大厦，犯有“严重罪行与不检行为”（High crimes and misdemeanors）。

川普成为有史以来唯一一位被众议院提案弹劾两次的总统。民主党把持的众院2019年第一次通过的弹劾川普条款，是指控川普向乌克兰总统施压要求调查民主党候选人拜登（Joe Biden），犯下“严重罪行与不检行为”。

第一次弹劾案被民主党搁置4周送交参议院，第二次弹劾案在不到2周时间内就送交参议院，这段时间还发生了：拜登宣誓就职和参院听证拜登的数位内阁提名人。

参议院多数党领袖查克·舒默（Chuck Schumer）22日稍晚在参议院会议上宣布，参议院将在2月第二周开始对川普的弹劾审讯。而众议院将在25日晚7点递交针对川普的弹劾条款。参议员们将依照程序在26日宣誓参加审讯。

川普可在2月2日之前对弹劾条款作出回应。

民主党人要弹劾一名已经卸任的总统，被多名共和党人质疑不合宪法，且众院早前的弹劾程序也有操之过急之嫌，甚至有共和党领导层形容弹劾案只是报复川普。

而且共和党也注意到，此前众议院表决弹劾案时，10名共和党众议员倒戈惹来不小的反弹，认为弹劾案始终离不开党派政治，因此不愿倒戈。

德州共和党参议员科宁（John Cornyn）表示，他不会支持任何形式的政治猎巫，并强调弹劾必须经过公平和合理过程。假如以快速审讯方式进行，将建立不良先例。科宁表示，虽然未知投票形势，但认为弹劾案不可能获得2/3参议员赞成。

印第安纳州共和党参议员布劳恩（Mike Braun）也称，估计只有数名共和党人会倒戈赞成弹劾川普，并认为很多共和党议员对弹劾案的本质感到困惑，也有与宪法相关的疑虑。

过往多次批评川普的参院少数党党鞭图恩（John Thune）也表示，弹劾案程序正当与否，将是十分重要。

参议院少数党领袖麦康奈尔（Mitch McConnell）未明确表达对弹劾案的投票倾向，仅称会先聆听各方论据，但多名共和党参议员已表态反对弹劾。

密西西比州共和党参议员威克（Roger Wicker）断言，现时弹劾案在参议院通过的机会已是零。

向来支持川普的南卡罗来纳州参议员格雷厄姆（Lindsey Graham）也指，一旦共和党人通过弹劾案，将是主动破坏共和党，并会继续撕裂国家。

多名共和党消息人士称，若麦康奈尔坚持倒戈，可能赔上他在共和党的高层位置，预计他最终仍会对弹劾案投反对票。

目前两党在参议院平分50个席位，定罪需要2/3的参议员，即至少17名共和党参议员投票支持。

共和党高层形容，除非再有证据显示川普在国会示威参与其中，否则得到17名共和党参议员倒戈的机会甚低。

自从1月6日发生国会山暴力冲入事件以后，美国左媒和民主党人把责任归罪于川普。

但在1月8日，美国国防部发布了一份题为“国民警卫队参与2021年1月6日在华盛顿特区举行的第一修正案抗议活动的计划和执行时间表”的公告。

公告明确认定1月6日在华盛顿DC的集会是“宪法第一修正案抗议活动”，即属第一修正案赋予人民的言论自由范畴，根本不是左派媒体宣传的“叛乱”或者“政变”。

Trump and first lady Melania leave the White House in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2021. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)   

Despite the fact that President Trump has left office, the Senate has decided to open impeachment hearings in February. In response, several Republican senators have questioned the unconstitutionality of impeachment and the haste with which it is being conducted. The Republican leadership has criticized the impeachment as a revenge against Trump and believes it has zero chance of passing.

The Democratic-controlled House rejected the Republican Senate minority leader's request to delay impeachment on Jan. 22 and will submit a second impeachment charge against former President Trump to the Senate on Jan. 25.

The House voted along party lines on the 13th, passing the impeachment motion by a 232 to 197 vote, saying Trump had committed "high crimes and misdemeanors" by inciting a mob to attack the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Trump became the only president ever to be impeached twice by a House proposal. The Democratic-held House of Representatives first passed articles of impeachment against Trump in 2019, accusing him of "high crimes and misdemeanors" for pressuring the Ukrainian president to investigate Democratic candidate Joe Biden.

The first impeachment was put on hold by the Democrats for 4 weeks and sent to the Senate, and the second was sent to the Senate in less than 2 weeks, during which time Biden was sworn in and the Senate heard several of Biden's cabinet nominees.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced later on the 22nd on the Senate floor that the Senate will begin impeachment hearings against Trump in the second week of February. The House of Representatives will submit articles of impeachment against Trump at 7 p.m. on the 25th. Senators will be sworn in for the trial on the 26th in accordance with procedure.

Trump has until Feb. 2 to respond to the articles of impeachment.

The Democrats want to impeach a president who has already left office, is a number of Republicans questioned unconstitutional, and the House of Representatives earlier impeachment procedures also have too fast suspicion, and even the Republican leadership described the impeachment case is only revenge Trump.

And the Republican Party also noted that the previous House vote on impeachment, 10 Republican House members fell back on the cause of not a small backlash, that the impeachment case is always inseparable from party politics, and therefore unwilling to fall back.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said he would not support any kind of political witch hunt and stressed that impeachment must be a fair and reasonable process. A speedy trial would set a bad precedent. Cornyn said that while the vote is unknown, he believes it is unlikely that the impeachment will be approved by 2/3 of senators.

Indiana Republican Senator Mike Braun also said that only a few Republicans are expected to fall in favor of Trump's impeachment, and that many Republican lawmakers are confused about the nature of the impeachment and have doubts related to the Constitution.

Senate Minority Whip John Thune, who has repeatedly criticized Trump in the past, also said the impeachment process, whether proper or not, would be very important.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) did not clearly express his inclination to vote on the impeachment, saying only that he would first listen to arguments from all sides, but a number of Republican senators have taken a stand against impeachment.

Mississippi Republican Senator Roger Wicker (R) asserted that the chance of impeachment passing the Senate is now zero.

Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who has always supported Trump, also said that once Republicans pass the impeachment, it will be an initiative to destroy the Republican Party and will continue to tear the country apart.

Multiple Republican sources said that if McConnell insists on going down, he could lose his top Republican position and is expected to still end up voting against the impeachment.

The two parties currently share 50 seats equally in the Senate, and a conviction would require 2/3 of senators, or at least 17 Republican senators, to vote for it.

Top Republicans described the chances of getting 17 Republican senators to backtrack as low unless there is further evidence of Trump's involvement in the congressional demonstrations.

Since the violent Capitol Hill incursion on Jan. 6, leftist media and Democrats have blamed Trump for the incident.

But on Jan. 8, the U.S. Department of Defense issued a bulletin titled "Plans and Implementation Schedule for National Guard Participation in the First Amendment Protest in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021.

The announcement clearly identified the January 6 rally in Washington, DC as a "First Amendment protest," i.e., a First Amendment freedom of speech event, not a "rebellion" or "coup" as propagated by the leftist media.

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