Pa.’s Toomey, Casey vote to move Trump impeachment trial forward

By: - February 10, 2021 9:57 am

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 18: The U.S Capitol Building is prepared for the inaugural ceremonies for President-elect Joe Biden as American flags are placed in the ground on the National Mall on January 18, 2021 in Washington, DC. The approximately 191,500 U.S. flags will cover part of the National Mall and will represent the American people who are unable to travel to Washington, DC for the inauguration. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania’s two United States senators, Democrat Bob Casey Jr. and Republican Pat Toomey voted with their colleagues Tuesday to uphold the Senate’s authority to hold an impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.

Toomey, who is retiring in 2022 and says he’s leaving politics, was one of five Republican senators to join Democrats. The others were Sens. Bill Cassidy, of Louisiana, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, and Mitt Romney of Utah. The measure passed the chamber by a vote of 56-44.

On Tuesday, Cassidy issued a withering critique of Trump’s defense team, led by former Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce L. Castor, saying the lawyers did a “terrible” job on the opening day of the trial.

Cassidy, who took fellow Republicans aback by reversing the position he took in a vote last month, contrasted that erratic performance to that of the “focused, organized” House Democrats who argued for Trump’s conviction.

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Laura Olson
Laura Olson

Laura Olson covers the nation's capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom, a network of nonprofit outlets that includes Pennsylvania Capital-Star. Her areas of coverage include politics and policy, lobbying, elections, and campaign finance.

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