House managers argue senators have a 'duty' to remove Trump from office

Senators will hear from both the House impeachment managers, led by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Trump's lawyers, led by White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and Trump personal lawyer Jay Sekulow. The trial is expected to end Wednesday with an acquittal.

Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., began closing arguments on behalf of the House managers, telling senators that they have a duty to remove Trump from office.

"I submit to you on behalf of the House of Representatives that your duty demands that you convict President Trump," Crow said, "Now, I don't pretend that this is an easy process. It's not designed to be easy. It shouldn't be easy to impeach or convict a president. Impeachment is an extraordinary remedy, a tool only to be used in rare instances of grave misconduct. But it is in the Constitution for a reason in America.

"No one is above the law. Even those elected president of the United States, and I would say especially those elected president of the United States."

Crow continued to argue that the House managers had proved Trump to be a threat to the coming election.

"If you believe, as we do and as we have proven, that the president's efforts to use his official powers to cheat in the 2020 election jeopardize our national security and are antithetical to our democratic tradition, then you must come to no other conclusion than that the president threatens the fairness of the next election," he said.

With an acquittal of Trump all but assured after a two-week impeachment trial, a handful of Republican senators have opted to declare Trump's conduct "inappropriate" but not impeachable - which has fueled speculation that Congress could pursue the less grave sanction of censure for the president.

Multiple senators of both parties dismissed the idea as they arrived at the Capitol on Monday.

Asked to gauge the appetite for censure among Republicans, Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., said, "zero."

The vast majority of Republicans, he said, believe Trump committed no wrongdoing and has been subjected to a partisan, politically motivated investigation.

"The only time I ever heard that question is from reporters," he said.

Several Democrats said they were also uninterested in the idea, calling it a punishment well short of what Trump's alleged conduct deserves.

"What he did was an impeachable offense - I think it's absolutely obvious, and giving a slap on the wrist doesn't do any good," said Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont.

Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, suggested a censure would only allow Republicans to skirt responsibility for protecting Trump: "I'm not bailing them out."

One Democrat who was open to the idea was Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who said "some additional action may well be appropriate," but added that he would want to speak with colleagues before endorsing the idea.

Meanwhile, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said on her way into Monday's closing arguments that she believes Trump's conduct was inappropriate.

Asked if she agreed with Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., that Trump acted inappropriately, she said, "I would concur." She said little else. Murkowski had been considered a key potential swing vote but voted against calling witnesses in the Senate trial.

Trump was impeached by the House for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The crux of the case against him is the allegation that he withheld military aid and a White House meeting to pressure Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son. Hunter Biden served on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian energy company, while his father was vice president.