The Daily Fuckup

Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial opened in the Senate on Feb. 9, 2021, setting up a constitutional fight over whether lawmakers could try a former president for conduct tied to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The chamber met as an impeachment court, with senators sitting as jurors and House managers preparing to present the case against Trump.

The first question was jurisdiction. House managers argued that the Senate had the authority to proceed even though Trump had already left office, saying impeachment would be weakened if an official could avoid review simply by leaving office before a trial began. Trump’s defense argued the opposite, contending that impeachment is meant to remove a sitting official and cannot be used against a private citizen.

After that debate, the Senate voted 56-44 to proceed with the trial. The vote did not settle the constitutional dispute for good, but it did clear the way for the case to move forward on the merits. It also put Trump’s conduct around the 2020 election and the Jan. 6 assault squarely into the Senate’s official record.

The proceedings took place in the same chamber that had been breached only weeks earlier, giving the opening day unusual weight. The trial was expected to focus on Trump’s repeated false claims about the election, his pressure on officials and allies, and the rally speech that preceded the attack. By day’s end, the Senate had decided it would hear the case, and the political and constitutional fallout from Jan. 6 was now part of the chamber’s formal business.