Sen. Rand Paul (KY) spoke to Chris Wallace on "Fox News Sunday" about former President Trump's upcoming Senate impeachment trial. The senator said the latest impeachment effort against Trump has zero chance of ending in a conviction.
Wallace began the interview by admitting that it would be unlikely for 17 Republicans to join every Democrat in the Senate to achieve the two-thirds majority needed to convict the former president, especially since most Republicans, Liz Cheney aside, believe the trial is unconstitutional.
"If we're going to criminalize speech, and somehow impeach everybody who says, 'Oh, go fight to hear your voices heard,' I mean really we ought to impeach Chuck Schumer then," said Paul. "[Schumer] went to the Supreme Court, stood in front of the Supreme Court and said specifically, 'Hey Gorsuch, Hey Kavanaugh, you've unleashed a whirlwind, and you're going to pay the price. You won't know what hit you if you continue with these awful decisions.'"
Paul noted that Schumer's comments were so inflammatory that Chief Justice Roberts issued a rare rebuke, calling Schumer's inflammatory rhetoric dangerous.
"So if people want to hold President Trump accountable for language there has to be a consistent standard, and to my mind it's a partisan farce because they're not doing anything to Chuck Schumer, not doing anything to Rep. Omar, not doing anything to Maxine Waters. It's just not fair. It's just partisan politics under a different name."
The Kentucky senator predicted Trump's legal team will show videos of people like Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) celebrating the attack on him, that left him with six broken ribs and required part of his lung to be removed. Other videos will likely be played of Cory Booker (D-NJ) telling people to get up in their faces, Maxine Waters (D-CA) telling people to confront and harass members of the Trump administration, and even Vice President Kamala Harris, who helped bail out violent rioters who then went on to harm other people.
Paul also believes the impeachment effort against the former president is unconstitutional, pointing to Chief Justice John Roberts' refusal to preside over the trial and the specific wording of "the president" found in the text of the Constitution as it relates to impeachment.
"Zero chance of conviction," said Paul. "Forty-five Republicans have said it's not even a legitimate proceeding, so it's really over before it starts."
The Senate impeachment trial starts on Tuesday.
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