Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said Wednesday he’s receiving a “very mixed” reaction back home to his vote to proceed with the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.
“Some folks [are] incredibly positive, some folks very negative,” Mr. Cassidy told reporters. “[To] those who are negative, I replied that this is a constitutional question. For some, they get it, and for others, they’re not quite so sure.”
Mr. Cassidy surprised many on Tuesday night when he became one of six Republican senators to vote with the Democratic majority to proceed with the trial.
He said House Democratic impeachment managers made a more convincing case than Mr. Trump’s lawyers on whether putting a former president on trial is constitutional.
The Republican Party of Louisiana said it is “profoundly disappointed” by Mr. Cassidy’s vote.
“When it comes to defending the Constitution, I don’t usually do a poll before I take my vote,” Mr. Cassidy said. “The vote I took is the conservative constitutional position. I think as people become familiar with that, they will agree with me.”
Mr. Cassidy said his vote “does not predict” how he will decide the question of convicting or acquitting Mr. Trump at the end of the trial.
“It does predict that I will listen to these arguments as I did to the arguments yesterday, with an open mind,” he said.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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