Senate Republicans left hanging with no idea how to handle Trump's second impeachment: report

On Saturday, POLITICO reported that Senate Republicans are going into the second impeachment trial of outgoing President Donald Trump without holding a conference or strategizing the issue at all.

"The Senate GOP has not spoken as a conference for more than two weeks now, since Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell asked Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who wasn't present, to explain his plans to challenge the election in a party conference call," reported Burgess Everett. "Since that Dec. 31 conversation, eight senators challenged the election results, the Capitol was overrun by pro-Donald Trump rioters and the president was impeached."

"Now, as McConnell's conference prepares to enter minority status and faces another grueling impeachment trial, senators are largely being left without guidance from leadership over how to come down on Trump," said the report. "The conference, so divided now over the outgoing president, is being given space to breathe, according to three senators who spoke on the condition of anonymity."

McConnell himself has said that he has not made up his mind on impeachment yet. He has also refused to call an emergency session to hold the trial before President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, effectively punting the matter to Democrats when they assume control of the Senate.

Trump was impeached on a single article of inciting insurrection, due to his role in encouraging the protests that turned into a violent invasion of the U.S. Capitol. 67 Senators would need to vote to convict President Donald Trump in order for there to be a vote against barring him from holding public office.