Senate Republicans back Trump as impeachment trial nears

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump’s defenders in the Senate are rallying around the former president before his impeachment trial, dismissing it as a waste of time and arguing the former president’s fiery speech before the Capitol insurrection does not make him responsible for the violence of Jan. 6. Republican Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi on Sunday made clear that Trump should and will be acquitted and says if holding Trump accountable means that the Senate must convict him, then “no,” Trump won’t be held accountable. Asked if Congress could still consider other punishment, such as censure, Wicker said it was time to move on and “that ship has sailed.”