Updated at 10:10 a.m. ET
As jurors in President Trump's impeachment trial, senators have remained silent as House impeachment managers and Trump's defense team make their cases. But now they have their opening.
The trial adjourned on Monday, giving senators their chance to take the floor. That window is still open on Tuesday; senators get up to 10 minutes each to speak. Watch the proceedings live here.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell spoke first on Tuesday, dismissing the two articles of impeachment against Trump "constitutionally incoherent."
Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives in December on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress related to efforts to get Ukraine to investigate Trump's political rivals.
On Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, the Senate votes on whether Trump should be convicted or acquitted of those charges. McConnell made his case for why senators should vote to acquit.
"We must vote to reject the House abuse of power, vote to protect our institutions, vote to reject to new precedents that would reduce the framers' design to rubble, vote to keep factional fever from boing over and scorching our republic," he said on the Senate floor. "I urge every one of our colleagues to cast the vote the facts, the evidence, the Constitution and the common good clearly require. Vote to acquit the president of these charges." Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
