Secret ballot
Unlike the first impeachment trial of Donald Trump a year ago, Democrats now hold a slight Senate majority which means they can make all the rules that govern this trial. While the House impeachment managers have yet to decide if they’ll call witnesses during the trial, at least they have that option after Republicans prevented any witnesses from being called during the last trial. The fact that the entire seditious insurrection that Trump incited was captured on video for all the world to see means there is less need for witnesses to testify as to what actually occurred.
Nothing in the constitution states that when the Senators deliberate whether or not to convict that their votes have to be made public. Because the rules of the impeachment trial are created by the senators, it would only take a majority vote to create a rule that the votes will be done in secret.
Even after Trump lost the election by over 7 million votes and then lost his ability to send mean tweets, most Senate Republicans are continuing to act as sycophantic lickspittles out of fear that Trump will attempt to primary them in the future. Trump has recently made overt threats stating he’s not going to start a new political party as previously discussed but will instead hold his power over them and remember who votes to convict him.
There are several current GOP senators with aspirations to run for president in 2024 so it would be in their best political interest to convict Trump so that he can then be prevented from ever holding office again by a simple majority vote. If Senators approve a rule that would make the impeachment conviction a secret vote there will certainly be at least 67 Senators willing, and eager, to vote to convict.
I’m a ceramic engineer living in Central New York, avid sports fan but find myself more interested in politics lately.