Trump impeachment trial live: Senate to decide if former US president incited insurrection

Today’s debate: Is the trial constitutional?

With that vote on the organising resolution out of the way, the Senate will now start four hours of debate (with two hours for each side) on whether the trial itself is even constitutional. 

Some Senate Republicans say there’s no legal standing for the trial to proceed because the whole point of impeachment is to strip power from sitting politicians, and Trump has already left office. They claim that holding the trial could open the door for impeaching any former official — and that could lead to unnecessary political harassment. “Who will the Democrats impeach next? George Washington,” asked Trump’s lead lawyer earlier this week. 

Senate Democrats say that when the Constitution says that…