Trump's impeachment: The Senate says the trial is constitutional and could go ahead

The U.S. Senate has found that the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump is constitutional, allowing the whole process to begin.

Mr. Trump's defense team argued that he could not face trial after leaving the White House.

But with a 56-44 majority voting to continue, a handful of Republicans support the move.

Mr. Trump has been accused of "inciting rebellion" during a storm in Congress last month.

Thousands rallied in support of the false claim that massive electoral fraud had denied Mr. Trump victory in the US presidential election.

Democrats, the judges in the case, began Tuesday's proceedings by showing a video of Mr. Trump's January speech and a deadly riot by some of his supporters.

“It’s a high crime and misdemeanor,” Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin said of the footage. "If it's not an impenetrable crime, there's nothing like it."

Lawyers for the former president argued that it was unconstitutional to keep the former president through the process altogether and to accuse Democrats of being politically motivated.

The split 54-44 meant six Republicans joined Democrats in the vote to move forward with the trial.

Although it shows some bipartisanship, this result proves that his party's allegiance to the former president remains strong enough to avoid his resilience.

An evenly divided 100-seat Senate requires a two-thirds majority to convict Mr. Trump.

If convicted, Mr. Trump could be barred from holding office again.