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What We Know About The House Impeachment Strategy, On The Eve Of Trump’s Second Trial

UNITED STATES - JANUARY 25 : House Clerk Cheryl Johnson, Tim Blodgett, acting House Sergeant at Arms, impeachment managers Reps. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., Diana DeGette, D-Colo., David Cicilline, D-R.I., Joaquin Castro, D... UNITED STATES - JANUARY 25 : House Clerk Cheryl Johnson, Tim Blodgett, acting House Sergeant at Arms, impeachment managers Reps. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., Diana DeGette, D-Colo., David Cicilline, D-R.I., Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., Ted Lieu, D-Calif., Del. Stacey Plaskett, D-V.I., Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., and Joe Neguse, D-Colo., walk through the Capitols Statuary Hall to deliver the article of impeachment for incitement of insurrection against former president Donald Trump to the Senate floor on Monday, January 25, 2021. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) MORE LESS

February 8, 2021 4:03 p.m.

As the former President’s second impeachment trial begins this week, it’s worth acknowledging a simple reality at the outset: It’s unlikely that 17 Republican senators will join a united Democratic caucus to convict Donald Trump of high crimes and misdemeanors.

But, impeachment veterans told TPM, that doesn’t mean the trial is a lost cause.

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