Rubio says no to Trump iimpeachment

At a time when many Senate Republicans are signaling that they intend to support President Donald Trump during any upcoming impeachment trial, Florida Senator Marco Rubio reiterated Thursday that he remains open-minded — albeit cautious — about the charges brought Wednesday by Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In a series of tweets, Rubio suggested the bar is high for senators to vote to remove Trump, something seen as unlikely to happen in the Republican-controlled Senate. But he said he’ll make up his mind after reviewing the facts and testimony surrounding allegations that Trump abused his office while pushing the government of Ukraine to investigate a political rival.

“The question before each Senator isn’t whether @POTUS did something offensive, wrong, improper or even bad for the country. The question is whether he has, (WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE CONSTITUTION) committed treason, bribery and/or other high crimes and misdemeanors,” Rubio tweeted.

“My decision will be based on a two pronged test,” he added. “Did President [Trump] commit treason, bribery and/or a high crime or misdemeanor as meant by [the] Constitution? And if so, does it rise to a level warranting removal or is it best left for voters to decide in just 11 months?”

While hardly an endorsement of the allegations brought by the House Wednesday along partisan lines, Rubio’s thinking is a departure from a majority of Republican senators who have indicated that they will vote to keep Trump in power if and when it comes time for the Senate to hold an impeachment trial.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., says he is working in concert with the White House ahead of the looming proceedings. Florida’s junior Republican senator, former governor Rick Scott, has already made up his mind to vote to keep Trump in office, calling impeachment on Wednesday a “partisan sham.”

In the House, no Republicans voted for the two articles of impeachment brought by Democrats, alleging abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Rubio has been critical of Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. But he has questioned whether Trump’s actions are grounds for impeachment and criticized House Democrats’ handling of impeachment proceedings. He has also said several times over the last month that he is not paying particularly close attention to the documents and testimony coming out of the House, planning instead to dig into the evidence presented during the Senate’s trial.

For now, though, it’s unclear what shape that trial would take, something Rubio did not opine on Thursday. It’s also unclear when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will transmit the articles of impeachment and name impeachment managers to handle the House’s case in the Senate.

“Playing games with the transmission of the Articles to the Senate will not impede or influence the Senate, but it will be the kind of partisan political stunt that further undermines the credibility of the process carried out by House Democrats,” Rubio tweeted Thursday.

Rubio also said he isn’t impartial, noting that all 100 senators “have a preexisting opinion” of Trump. But he said the Senate “must and will fulfill its duty to receive” the articles of impeachment and “conduct a trial.”