Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy compared the indictment against former President Trump on Sunday to a “Soviet trial” – but said he would keep an open mind this week.
“There was no process. “If it happened in the Soviet Union, you would have called it a showdown,” the Louisiana senator told NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
The Louisiana Republican said the House vote to accuse Trump for a second time of “inciting insurgency” is not a process worthy of American democracy. Cassidy and 44 other Republicans voted to dismiss the upcoming trial on constitutional grounds.
‘It’s been called two hours before. There was no debate or any explanation. It was a vote based on a moment, ‘Cassidy said.
‘Let’s be honest, the House did an incredibly poor job of building the case before the indictment. The president was not there, he did not allow any advice, and they did not gather evidence. In five hours he is judged and plotted. ‘
Asked if his vote on Tuesday’s Senate hearing would be determined in advance, Cassidy said he would review the evidence.
“No, I do not. “I think it depends on what is on offer,” he told host Chuck Todd. “We will now hopefully hold presentations from both sides and regard the evidence as impartial judges.”
Democrats claim that then-President Trump is to blame for the January 6 violence on the Capitol. If the Senate finds him guilty – a result that would require a two-thirds vote – Trump could be barred from ever taking office again.
Trump’s lawyers have argued that he can not be charged because he is no longer in office.
The Senate hearing begins Tuesday.