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Washington (AP) - Before the impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump in the Senate, a conviction and suspension of office for the former US president is becoming increasingly unlikely.
Forty-five of the 50 Republicans in the Senate supported a motion by their party colleague Rand Paul on Tuesday, who called the process unconstitutional and wanted to stop its progress.
Only five Republicans voted with the 50 Democrats.
Paul's request was rejected by a majority.
A two-thirds majority for a condemnation of Trump, which would be a prerequisite for the suspension of office sought by the Democrats, hardly seems realistic against this background.
The Senate proceedings are due to begin in the second week of February.
Paul argued that the process was against the Constitution because it was directed not against a president but against a private person.
Trump has not been in office since his successor Joe Biden was sworn in on January 20.
The majority leader of the Democrats in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, called Paul's argument "simply wrong".
Otherwise, a president could avoid impeachment and suspension from office by committing crimes against the country shortly before the end of his term or stepping down before a trial in the Senate, he said.
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The House of Representatives forwarded the indictment against Trump to the Senate - the other chamber in Congress - on Monday.
Trump is accused of "inciting a riot".
The Democrats, as well as some Republicans, accuse Trump of inciting his supporters before storming the Capitol.
Five people were killed in the riot on January 6, including a police officer.
Top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell voted in favor of Paul's move on Tuesday.
McConnell had publicly blamed Trump for the attack on Congress last week.
US media had previously reported that the influential senator had internally declared that he was undecided on how to vote in an impeachment trial.
The Democrats had hoped to win him over to convict Trump.
McConnell's example might have been followed by other Republican senators.
The longest serving US Senator, Democrat Patrick Leahy, was sworn in on Tuesday as chairman of the impeachment proceedings against Trump.
Leahy (80) then took the oath from the 100 senators, who have the role of jury in the proceedings and who decide the process at the end.
Impeachment proceedings against the President must be directed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Because Trump is no longer in office, the senior senator now has this job.
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The reading of the indictment, the swearing in of the chairman and senators, and initial statements by the defendant and the prosecutor are part of the preparations for the trial, according to the US Congress Research Service (CRS).
The actual start of the proceedings - scheduled for the second week of February - is marked by the opening speech of the House of Representatives, followed by that of the defense.
Angry Trump supporters forcibly entered the Capitol on January 6, after Trump gave an inciting speech not far from the White House.
At the time, Congress had met in the Capitol to formally confirm Biden's election victory.
Trump had tried to overturn Biden's victory.
A two-thirds majority of the senators would be necessary for a conviction of Trump.
New President Biden's Republicans and Democrats each hold 50 seats in the Senate.
So 17 Republicans would also have to stand up against Trump.
In the event of a conviction, a simple majority in a second vote would be sufficient to impose the life-long ban on office at the federal level against Trump, as demanded by the Democrats.
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Biden, who has largely kept a low profile over the impeachment proceedings against his predecessor, told CNN that he did not believe 17 Republicans would vote to convict Trump.
But he spoke out in favor of the procedure.
"I think it has to be done."
The prosecutors and defense counsel now have two weeks to work on their impeachment papers.
Written arguments from the House of Representatives and Trump attorneys are due to be submitted by February 8.
The actual impeachment process in the Senate would then begin on February 9th.
Democrats and Republicans in the Senate agreed on Friday on the second week of February as the start date.
The Senate wants to take care of other matters until the actual start of the proceedings.
This suits Biden as he depends on the approval of the Senate for the confirmation of his nominated cabinet members and other top personalities.
On Monday, Janet Yellen was confirmed as the country's first Secretary of the Treasury.
On Tuesday the Senate confirmed Antony Blinken as the new Foreign Minister of the Biden government.
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