Sen. Kaine sets aside Trump censure resolution: 'There's not enough support on either side'
Democrats too focused on impeachment, GOP doesn't want to bar Trump from office, senator says
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Sens. Tim Kaine and Susan Collins have set aside the bipartisan effort to censure former President Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot for lack of support from both Democrats and Republicans.
Kaine, D-Va., said Tuesday they won't file their alternative to impeachment because there's not a path for success at this time.
"We don't have enough support on the Republican side because they don't want to bar Trump from running from office, and I don't have enough support on the Democratic side because, for most of my colleagues, it's impeachment or nothing," Kaine told pool reporters at the Capitol Tuesday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}SENATORS MULL CENSURING TRUMP AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO IMPEACHMENT TRIAL
Kaine and Collins, R-Maine, proposed a censure resolution that would have condemned Trump and used the 14th Amendment to the Constitution to bar Trump from holding office again. If Trump is convicted during impeachment, he could face similar punishment.
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., had proposed a censure resolution against former President Trump as an alternative to impeachment.
Kaine called the censure measure a reasonable alternative because he's concerned that Trump's impeachment trial will end with a second acquittal. He hopes the censure effort could be revived once the trial is underway the week of Feb. 8.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Maybe Republicans will see some evidence in that trial where they'll say ... 'Even if I'm not voting to convict, this is repulsive.' Maybe some Democrats will say, 'Boy, we're not going to get the votes to convict, we need to come up with something else,'" Kaine said.
But as of now, "there's not enough support on either side," Kaine said.
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Unlike an impeachment conviction, a censure resolution would only need the support of 60 senators to overcome the threat of a filibuster and reach a final floor vote. That means 10 Republicans would need to join the chamber’s Democrats in supporting the measure.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., left the door open Tuesday to a censure resolution if Trump isn't convicted in the impeachment trial.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Anything past that is something we can discuss," Schumer said. "He deserves conviction, nothing less."
Fox News' Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.