CNN Correspondent Says Senate Convicting Trump Is ‘A Very Real Possibility’ After Reports Indicate McConnell Is Open to Impeachment

The Senate did not vote to convict President Donald Trump the first time he was impeached. Would it do the same this time?

The Democratic-controlled House is set to vote on an article of impeachment against the president over his rhetoric and actions that let to the violent rioting at the Capitol Building carried out by his supporters. Three Republicans in the House have said they will vote to impeach Trump as well, with potentially more joining in.

Conviction remains an unlikely scenario, but new reports that Mitch McConnell is furious at the president and believes he committed impeachable offenses have raised the question of whether it would actually happen.

CNN congressional correspondent Phil Mattingly told Erin Burnett Tuesday night that we’re “witnessing the rupturing of an American political party in real time.”

He noted that while Liz Cheney supports impeaching the president, most House Republicans are still “in line with the president.”

Mattingly clarified that the reporting on McConnell does not necessarily indicate he is going to vote to convict, but confirmed that McConnell is indeed really angry at Trump over the riots.

“If McConnell decides to support the impeachment when it gets to the Senate for a trial, there is a very real possibility the president is convicted,” he said. “It’s not a done deal yet, but that is what you’re watching in real time with the Republican party right now.”

Separately, New York Times correspondent Jonathan Martin reported tonight that a Senate Republican aide said there are roughly 20 GOP senators “open” to convicting the president.

A Senate Republican aide tells me he thinks there were about 20, give or take, Republicans who were *open* to a conviction

Before our story on McConnell

— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) January 12, 2021