GOP senators predict a ‘bipartisan’ acquittal of Trump during Senate impeachment trial

Republicans believe that not only will President Trump be acquitted in any upcoming Senate impeachment trial, but that the vote will be bipartisan.

Senate Republicans told  this week that one or two Democrats may defect, allowing the party to claim that the acquittal was bipartisan, just like the House’s vote against articles of impeachment.

All House Democrats voted in favor of the two articles.

“I think we might have a couple,” Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) said. “I don’t want to speculate on who—obviously that puts too much pressure on them—but I really think we have people on both sides that are trying to get to a reasonable, nonpartisan answer.”

The No. 3 Senate Republican, John Barasso of Wyoming, told The Hill he wasn’t sure if any Democrats would vote to acquit.

However, he added that “there are a couple of Democrats who are thinking about that. And you know who they are.”

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told Fox News recently that he also believes a couple of Democrats will ‘defect’ from their party and vote against removing the president from office.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if we got one or two Democrats,” McConnell told  on Dec. 17.

“My hope is that there won’t be a single Republican who votes for either of these articles in the House,” he added.

Thus far, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Doug Jones (D-Ala.), have been considered the most likely to go against their party. Both are from states that went massively for President Trump in 2016.