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201-429: [REDACTED] Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since 2019. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 and was the Republican Party 's nominee for president of the United States in the 2012 election . Raised in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan , he spent over two years in France as

402-584: A 4-D ministerial deferment while living in France as a missionary. He later sought and received two additional student deferments. When those ran out, he drew number 300 in the December 1969 draft lottery , ensuring he would not be drafted. At culturally conservative BYU, Romney remained separated from much of the upheaval of that era. He became president of the Cougar Club booster organization and showed

603-596: A Bachelor of Arts in English from Brigham Young University (BYU) and in 1975 he received a JD–MBA degree from Harvard . He became a management consultant and in 1977 joined Bain & Company in Boston . As Bain's chief executive officer (CEO), he helped lead the company out of a financial crisis. In 1984, he co-founded and led the spin-off company Bain Capital , a private equity investment firm that became one of

804-463: A Mormon missionary . He married Ann Davies in 1969; they have five sons. Active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) throughout his adult life, Romney served as bishop of his ward and later as a stake president for an area covering Boston and many of its suburbs. By 1971, he had participated in the political campaigns of both his parents. In 1971, Romney graduated with

1005-524: A major party 's nominee. He lost the election to President Barack Obama . After reestablishing residency in Utah, Romney ran for U.S. Senate in 2018 . When Romney won the Republican nomination and general election, he became the first person in modern American history to be elected governor and U.S. senator of different states. Generally considered a moderate or more neoconservative Republican , Romney

1206-411: A nonpartisan blanket primary (also known as a "jungle primary" or "top-two primary") is held in which all candidates participate in a single primary regardless of party affiliation and the top two candidates in terms of votes received at the primary election advance to the general election, where the winner is the candidate with the greater number of votes. In Louisiana, the blanket primary is considered

1407-498: A 232–197 vote. All 222 Democrats voted to impeach, joined by 10 Republicans (including House Republican Conference chairwoman Liz Cheney ). Four Republicans did not vote, and the other 197 Republicans voted no. In the days following Trump's second impeachment, then- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) argued that, because the Senate was in pro forma sessions until January 19, it could not take on any business without

1608-567: A 30-month stint in France as a Mormon missionary , a traditional rite of passage in his family. He arrived in Le Havre , where he shared cramped quarters under meager conditions. Rules against drinking, smoking, and dating were strictly enforced. On average, individual Mormon missionaries do not gain many converts and Romney was no exception: he later estimated 10 to 20 for his entire mission. He initially became demoralized and later recalled it as

1809-470: A June 1970 newspaper profile of children of cabinet members, Mitt said that U.S. involvement in the war had been misguided – "If it wasn't a political blunder to move into Vietnam, I don't know what is" – but supported Nixon's ongoing Cambodian Incursion as a sincere attempt to end the war. During the U.S. military draft for the Vietnam War, Romney sought and received two 2-S student deferments , then

2010-604: A U.S. president or former U.S. president. After the vote on the acquittal, Mitch McConnell said, "There's no question that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day." but he voted against conviction due to his interpretation of the United States Constitution. Under the U.S. Constitution , the House has the sole power of impeachment ( Article I, Section 2, Clause 5 ), and after that action has been taken,

2211-400: A businessman who said he had created 10,000 jobs and as a Washington outsider with a solid family image and moderate stances on social issues. When Kennedy tried to tie Romney's policies to those of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush , Romney responded, "Look, I was an independent during the time of Reagan-Bush. I'm not trying to take us back to Reagan-Bush." Romney said, "Ultimately, this is

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2412-479: A campaign about change." Romney's campaign was effective in portraying Kennedy as soft on crime but had trouble establishing its own consistent positions. By mid-September 1994, polls showed the race about even. Kennedy responded with a series of ads that focused on Romney's seemingly shifting political views on issues such as abortion; Romney responded, "I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country." Other Kennedy ads centered on layoffs of workers at

2613-560: A career in business rather than law. He was recruited by several large companies but joined the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), reasoning that working as a management consultant for a variety of companies would better prepare him for a future position as a chief executive. Part of a 1970s wave of top graduates who chose to go into consulting rather than join a large company directly, he found his legal and business education useful in his job. He applied BCG principles such as

2814-471: A chair in the front of the Senate chamber. The powers of the presiding officer of the Senate are far less extensive than those of the speaker of the House . The presiding officer calls on senators to speak (by the rules of the Senate, the first senator who rises is recognized); ruling on points of order (objections by senators that a rule has been breached, subject to appeal to the whole chamber); and announcing

3015-423: A combination of spending cuts, increased fees, and closing corporate tax loopholes . He did not seek reelection in 2006 , instead focusing on his campaign for the Republican nomination in the 2008 presidential election , which he lost to Senator John McCain . Romney ran for president again four years later and was the Republican nominee in the 2012 presidential election , becoming the first LDS Church member to be

3216-492: A court of law". Given Nixon v. United States , it is unclear whether or to what extent a challenge to a Senate impeachment conviction would be justiciable . The Supreme Court case had unanimously determined that the question of whether the Senate had properly tried an impeachment was a political question and could not be resolved in the judicial branch. The House submitted its reply memorandum on February 9, 2021. In

3417-467: A deal where it profited handsomely from early payments and management fees, even though the subject company itself later went into bankruptcy. Dade Behring was another case where Bain Capital received an eightfold return on its investment but the company itself was saddled with debt and laid off over a thousand employees before Bain Capital exited (the company subsequently went into bankruptcy, with more layoffs, before recovering and prospering). Referring to

3618-425: A few years, the firm considered him one of its best consultants. In fact, clients sometimes preferred to use him rather than more-senior partners. Two family incidents during this time later surfaced during Romney's political campaigns. A state park ranger in 1981 told Romney his motorboat had an insufficiently visible license number and that he would face a $ 50 fine if he took the boat onto the lake. Disagreeing about

3819-463: A former quarterback for the Chicago Bears . Romney was called "Billy" until kindergarten, when he expressed a preference for "Mitt". In 1953, the family moved from Detroit to the affluent suburb of Bloomfield Hills and his father became the chairman and CEO of American Motors the following year and helped the company avoid bankruptcy and return to profitability. By 1959, his father had become

4020-474: A full-term). The Seventeenth Amendment permits state legislatures to empower their governors to make temporary appointments until the required special election takes place. The manner by which the Seventeenth Amendment is enacted varies among the states. A 2018 report breaks this down into the following three broad categories (specific procedures vary among the states): In ten states within

4221-502: A hands-on role in the Boston Stake's matters, helping in domestic maintenance efforts, visiting the sick, and counseling burdened church members. A number of local church members later credited him with turning their lives around or helping them through difficult times. Others, rankled by his leadership style, desired a more consensus-based approach. Romney tried to balance the conservative directives from church leadership in Utah with

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4422-549: A letter to Trump attorneys on February 4, lead impeachment manager Jamie Raskin invited Trump to testify (and be subject to cross-examination ) before or during the impeachment trial; the House impeachment managers argued that his testimony was needed after he disputed the House's allegations that he incited the insurrection at the Capitol. The letter stated that Trump's refusal to testify would support "a strong adverse inference " against Trump. The House's letter noted that there

4623-407: A majority of the Senate constitutes a quorum to do business. Under the rules and customs of the Senate, a quorum is always assumed as present unless a quorum call explicitly demonstrates otherwise. A senator may request a quorum call by "suggesting the absence of a quorum"; a clerk then calls the roll and notes which members are present. In practice, senators rarely request quorum calls to establish

4824-567: A mansion far more comfortable than the accommodations he experienced elsewhere in the country. When the French expressed opposition to the U.S. role in the Vietnam War , Romney debated them. Those who yelled at him and slammed their doors in his face merely reinforced his resolve. In June 1968, while in southern France and driving an automobile that was hit by another vehicle, Romney was seriously injured. The crash killed one of his passengers,

5025-418: A method to remove that disqualification: a two-thirds vote of both chambers of Congress. Originally, senators were selected by the state legislatures , not by popular elections . By the early years of the 20th century, the legislatures of as many as 29 states had provided for popular election of senators by referendums. Popular election to the Senate was standardized nationally in 1913 by the ratification of

5226-524: A more deliberative and prestigious body than the House of Representatives due to its longer terms, smaller size, and statewide constituencies, which historically led to a more collegial and less partisan atmosphere. The Senate chamber is located in the north wing of the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. , the nation's capital. Despite not being a senator, the vice president of

5427-560: A nationally known figure in print and on television, and Mitt idolized him. Romney attended public elementary schools until seventh grade, when he enrolled as one of only a few Mormon students at Cranbrook School , a private upscale boys' preparatory school a few miles from his home. Many students there came from backgrounds even more privileged than his. Not particularly athletic, he also did not distinguish himself academically. He participated in his father's successful 1962 Michigan gubernatorial campaign , and later worked as an intern in

5628-659: A new challenge, as well as another chance to prove himself in public life, he did. On February 11, 1999, the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games of 2002 hired Romney as its president and CEO. Before Romney took over, the event was $ 379 million short of its revenue goals. Officials had made plans to scale back the Games to compensate for the fiscal crisis, and there were fears it might be moved away entirely. In addition,

5829-504: A newfound discipline in his studies. During his senior year, he took a leave of absence to work as driver and advance man for his mother's unsuccessful U.S. Senate campaign; together, they visited all 83 Michigan counties . Romney graduated from BYU in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a 3.97 GPA . He gave commencement addresses to both the College of Humanities and the whole of BYU. The Romneys' first son, Taggart ,

6030-441: A political figure who had opposed Kennedy, he would become a focal point for opposition to the structure. He thus kept to a limited, behind-the-scenes role in attempts to ease tensions between the church and local residents. In 1998, Ann Romney learned that she had multiple sclerosis ; Mitt described watching her fail a series of neurological tests as the worst day of his life. After experiencing two years of severe difficulties with

6231-526: A reasonable jurist could conclude that the 45th president's statements were accurate or not, and he, therefore, denies they were false." Trump's lawyers also argued that the impeachment proceeding is legally "void" because Trump is no longer president. The brief asserted that prior to the January 6 riots, Trump had "exercised his First Amendment right under the Constitution to express his belief that

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6432-401: A regular or special Senate election. Senators serve terms of six years each; the terms are staggered so that approximately one-third of the seats are up for election every two years. This was achieved by dividing the senators of the 1st Congress into thirds (called classes ), where the terms of one-third expired after two years, the terms of another third expired after four, and the terms of

6633-556: A representative must be twenty-five. And the former must have been a citizen nine years; as seven years are required for the latter. The propriety of these distinctions is explained by the nature of the senatorial trust, which, requiring greater extent of information and stability of character, requires at the same time that the senator should have reached a period of life most likely to supply these advantages; and which, participating immediately in transactions with foreign nations, ought to be exercised by none who are not thoroughly weaned from

6834-503: A result of his experience there, Romney developed a lifelong affection for France and its people, and has remained fluent in French. At their first meeting following his return, Romney and Ann Davies reconnected and decided to get married. Before their wedding, Romney moved to Utah and enrolled at Brigham Young University , where Ann had been studying. They married on March 21, 1969, in a civil ceremony in Bloomfield Hills and

7035-442: A result, he enrolled in the recently created four-year joint Juris Doctor / Master of Business Administration program coordinated between Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School . He readily adapted to the business school's pragmatic, data-driven case study method of teaching . Living in a Belmont, Massachusetts , house with Ann and their two children, his social experience differed from that of most of his classmates. He

7236-423: A result, it is uncertain whether an Alaska governor may appoint an interim senator to serve until a special election is held to fill the vacancy. In May 2021, Oklahoma permitted its governor again to appoint a successor who is of the same party as the previous senator for at least the preceding five years when the vacancy arises in an even-numbered year, only after the appointee has taken an oath not to run in either

7437-514: A senator by a two-thirds vote. Fifteen senators have been expelled in the Senate's history: William Blount , for treason, in 1797, and fourteen in 1861 and 1862 for supporting the Confederate secession . Although no senator has been expelled since 1862, many senators have chosen to resign when faced with expulsion proceedings – for example, Bob Packwood in 1995. The Senate has also censured and condemned senators; censure requires only

7638-447: A separate ballot referendum that took effect on the same day, but that conflicted with each other. The effect of the ballot-approved law is to withhold from the governor authority to appoint a senator. Because the 17th Amendment vests the power to grant that authority to the legislature – not the people or the state generally – it is unclear whether the ballot measure supplants the legislature's statute granting that authority. As

7839-443: A simple majority and does not remove a senator from office. Some senators have opted to withdraw from their re-election races rather than face certain censure or expulsion, such as Robert Torricelli in 2002. The "majority party" is the political party that either has a majority of seats or can form a coalition or caucus with a majority of seats; if two or more parties are tied, the vice president's affiliation determines which party

8040-581: A simple majority vote. On February 9, 45 senators (38 Democrats, 5 Republicans, and 2 independents caucusing with the Democrats) supported conviction, 35 senators (all Republican) opposed conviction, and 20 senators (10 Democrats and 10 Republicans) had not released an official statement. This implied that to convict Trump with the required two-thirds majority, some of the Republican senators who said they opposed conviction would have needed to change their minds, either by voting to convict or by not appearing for

8241-519: A studio that produced R-rated films . Romney served on the board of directors of Damon Corporation, a medical testing company later found guilty of defrauding the government; Bain Capital tripled its investment before selling off the company, and the fraud was discovered by the new owners (Romney was never implicated). In some cases, Romney had little involvement with a company once Bain Capital acquired it. Bain Capital's leveraged buyouts sometimes led to layoffs, either soon after acquisition or later after

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8442-478: A symbolic salary of one dollar (remaining managing general partner of Bain Capital during this time). He oversaw an effort to restructure Bain & Company's employee stock-ownership plan and real-estate deals, while rallying the firm's 1,000 employees, imposing a new governing structure that excluded Bain and the other founding partners from control, and increasing fiscal transparency. He got Bain and other initial owners who had removed excessive amounts of money from

8643-452: A team to handle financial and management issues, sought to counter anti-Mormon sentiment, and tried to solve social problems among poor Southeast Asian converts. An unpaid position, his local church leadership often took 30 or more hours a week of his time, and he became known for his considerable energy in the role. He also earned a reputation for avoiding any overnight travel that might interfere with his church responsibilities. Romney took

8844-406: A uniform law) the power to legislate a method by which senators are elected. Ballot access rules for independent and minor party candidates also vary from state to state. In 45 states, a primary election is held first for the Republican and Democratic parties (and a select few third parties , depending on the state) with the general election following a few months later. In most of these states,

9045-420: A viable defense against conviction. The House submitted its replication to Trump's answer on February 8. Trump, through his attorneys Bruce L. Castor Jr ., David Schoen , and Michael T. van der Veen , submitted a brief asserting that Democratic leadership in the House were engaging in a "selfish attempt" to capitalize on the storming of the Capitol and its aftermath . They argued that instead of healing

9246-485: Is a lame duck ." The House brief stated that "if provoking an insurrectionary riot against a Joint Session of Congress after losing an election is not an impeachable offense, it is hard to imagine what would be." Trump's lawyers filed a 14-page response to the article of impeachment later the same day. Trump's lawyers did not explicitly embrace Trump's false claims of a "rigged" election, but nevertheless echoed them, asserting that "insufficient evidence exists upon which

9447-537: Is a "solid basis" for post-presidential impeachments, having noted and rejected contrary arguments. In an unprecedented maneuver in American history, the Trump defense team declared that Trump would, if convicted by the Senate, attempt to overturn the verdict. Trump's lawyers say the conviction would be "unauthorized" and "non-binding" – and that if Trump runs for president again, it "would be challenged in

9648-563: Is a former constitutional law professor at American University ; Lieu is a former military prosecutor in the United States Air Force ; Cicilline is a former public defender; Swalwell is a former prosecutor in California; DeGette is a former civil rights attorney; and Castro, Neguse, Dean, and Plaskett are all former lawyers in private practice. Democrats relied on many of the same lawyers and aides who helped assemble

9849-654: Is a momentous event and having the Chief Justice preside seems more congruent with, or more fitting of, the occasion." On January 12, the day before the House debated the article of impeachment, Pelosi named nine Democratic representatives to be managers in the Senate trial: Raskin (lead manager), Cicilline, Lieu, Diana DeGette , Joaquin Castro , Eric Swalwell , Joe Neguse , Madeleine Dean , and Stacey Plaskett . The managers were chosen for their expertise in constitutional law, civil rights, and criminal justice. Raskin

10050-410: Is anticipated. The Constitution authorizes the Senate to elect a president pro tempore ( Latin for "president for a time"), who presides over the chamber in the vice president's absence and is, by custom, the senator of the majority party with the longest record of continuous service. Like the vice president, the president pro tempore does not normally preside over the Senate, but typically delegates

10251-563: Is no 'January exception' to impeachment or any other provision of the Constitution. A president must answer comprehensively for his conduct in office from his first day in office through his last. and that it was "unthinkable" that the Framers of the Constitution would have left the country "virtually defenseless against a president's treachery in his final days, allowing him to misuse power, violate his Oath, and incite insurrection against Congress and our electoral institutions simply because he

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10452-468: Is the majority party. One hundred desks are arranged in the chamber in a semicircular pattern and are divided by a wide central aisle. The Democratic Party traditionally sits to the presiding officer's right, and the Republican Party traditionally sits to the presiding officer's left, regardless of which party has a majority of seats. Each senator chooses a desk based on seniority within

10653-437: Is the majority party. The next-largest party is known as the minority party. The president pro tempore, committee chairs, and some other officials are generally from the majority party; they have counterparts (for instance, the "ranking members" of committees) in the minority party. Independents and members of third parties (so long as they do not caucus support either of the larger parties) are not considered in determining which

10854-574: Is the sole judge of a senator's qualifications. During its early years, however, the Senate did not closely scrutinize the qualifications of its members. As a result, four senators who failed to meet the age requirement were nevertheless admitted to the Senate: Henry Clay (aged 29 in 1806), John Jordan Crittenden (aged 29 in 1817), Armistead Thomson Mason (aged 28 in 1816), and John Eaton (aged 28 in 1818). Such an occurrence, however, has not been repeated since. In 1934, Rush D. Holt Sr.

11055-545: The Wall Street Journal the weekend before the trial that there is no Constitutional prohibition against a post-presidency trial. Cardozo School of Law constitutional law professor Kate Shaw argued that "drafting history, impeachment practice, and basic constitutional design all point clearly in favor of the constitutionality of trying an ex-president." Legal scholar Brian C. Kalt , who has published research about late impeachments, stated, "In multiple cases,

11256-488: The 1992 presidential primaries for the Democratic former senator from Massachusetts, Paul Tsongas . By 1993, Romney had begun thinking about entering politics, partly on Ann's urging and also to follow in his father's footsteps. He decided to challenge incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy , who was seeking reelection to a sixth term. Political pundits viewed Kennedy as vulnerable that year, in part because of

11457-429: The 2002 Winter Olympics led to a relaunch of his political career. Elected governor of Massachusetts in 2002 , Romney helped develop and later signed a health care reform law (commonly called "Romneycare") that provided near-universal health insurance access through state-level subsidies and individual mandates to purchase insurance . He also presided over the elimination of a projected $ 1.2–1.5 billion deficit through

11658-466: The 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. He has long been hawkish on issues such as Iran , China , and Russia , and is one of Israel 's staunchest supporters in Congress. He has been accused by Trump loyalists of being a Republican In Name Only . In 2023, Romney announced he would not run for reelection in 2024 and would retire from the Senate when his term expires in 2025. Willard Mitt Romney

11859-456: The Capitol rotunda ) to formally deliver the article of impeachment, triggering the trial. Raskin, the lead House impeachment manager, read the article to the Senate. Senate President pro tempore emeritus Chuck Grassley (R-IA) swore in the chamber's presiding officer, Senate President pro tempore Patrick Leahy (D-VT), who then swore in all senators as jurors. Each senator then signed

12060-557: The Constitution debated more about how to award representation in the Senate than about any other part of the Constitution. While bicameralism and the idea of a proportional "people's house" were widely popular, discussions about Senate representation proved contentious. In the end, some small states—unwilling to give up their equal power with larger states under the Articles of Confederation —threatened to secede in 1787, and won

12261-529: The Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) or Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). FERS has been the Senate's retirement system since January 1, 1987, while CSRS applies only for those senators who were in the Senate from December 31, 1986, and prior. As it is for federal employees, congressional retirement is funded through taxes and the participants' contributions. Under FERS, senators contribute 1.3% of their salary into

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12462-411: The Senate has "the sole Power to try all Impeachments" ( Article I, Section 3, Clause 6 ). Trump was the third U.S. president to face a Senate impeachment trial, after Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton . Trump is the only federal official to be impeached twice. The Senate impeachment trial procedures are set forth under rules adopted in 1986, although specific rules are adopted for each trial, with

12663-596: The Senate majority leader exercising considerable power in setting the procedures. On January 11, 2021, Representatives David Cicilline , Jamie Raskin , and Ted Lieu introduced an article of impeachment against Trump, charging him with "incitement of insurrection" in urging his supporters to march on the Capitol building. The article stated that Trump had committed high crimes and misdemeanors by making several statements that "encouraged – and foreseeably resulted in – lawless action" that interfered with Congress' constitutional duty to certify

12864-613: The Seventeenth Amendment . Elections to the Senate are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years, Election Day , and occur simultaneously with elections for the House of Representatives . Senators are elected by their state as a whole. The Elections Clause of the United States Constitution grants each state (and Congress, if it so desires to implement

13065-709: The United States Congress . The Senate and the United States House of Representatives (which is the lower chamber of Congress) comprise the federal bicameral legislature of the United States . Together, the Senate and the House have the authority under Article One of the U.S. Constitution to pass or defeat federal legislation. The Senate has exclusive power to confirm U.S. presidential appointments to high offices, approve or reject treaties, and try cases of impeachment brought by

13266-413: The gavel of the Senate to maintain order. A " hold " is placed when the leader's office is notified that a senator intends to object to a request for unanimous consent from the Senate to consider or pass a measure. A hold may be placed for any reason and can be lifted by the senator who placed it at any time. A senator may place a hold simply to review a bill, to negotiate changes to the bill, or to kill

13467-486: The growth-share matrix , and executives viewed him as having a bright future there. At BCG, he was a colleague of Benjamin Netanyahu , with whom he formed a friendship that has lasted for more than 40 years. In 1977, he was hired by Bain & Company , a management consulting firm in Boston formed a few years earlier by Bill Bain and several other ex-BCG employees. Bain later said of the 30-year-old Romney, "He had

13668-527: The largest of its kind in the nation. After stepping down from his positions at Bain Capital and in the LDS Church, Romney ran as the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts in 1994 and lost to the incumbent, Ted Kennedy . He then resumed his position at Bain Capital. Years later, a successful stint as president and CEO of the then-struggling Salt Lake Organizing Committee for

13869-434: The parliamentarian . In the early 1920s, the practice of majority and minority parties electing their floor leaders began. The Senate's legislative and executive business is managed and scheduled by the Senate's majority leader, who on occasion negotiates some matters with the Senate's minority leader. A prominent practice in the Senate is the filibuster on some matters and its remedy the vote on cloture . The drafters of

14070-414: The senior senator , while the other is the junior senator . For example, majority leader Chuck Schumer is the senior senator from New York, having served in the senate since 1999, while Kirsten Gillibrand is New York's junior senator, having served since 2009. Like members of the House of Representatives, Senators use the prefix " The Honorable " before their names. Senators are usually identified in

14271-423: The state legislature of their respective states. However, since 1913, following the ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment , senators have been elected through a statewide popular vote . As the upper chamber of Congress, the Senate has several powers of advice and consent . These include the approval of treaties , as well as the confirmation of Cabinet secretaries , federal judges (including justices of

14472-418: The unanimous consent of its members . According to Senate rules, once articles of impeachment are presented to the Senate, the Senate trial must begin the next day. Had the article of impeachment been immediately transmitted to the Senate, Trump's trial thus would have begun on Inauguration Day, after Joe Biden was sworn in. Then- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called on McConnell to bring

14673-508: The 1965–1966 academic year. He was not part of the counterculture of the 1960s then taking form in the San Francisco Bay Area . As opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War grew, a group staged a May 1966 sit-in at Stanford's administration building to demonstrate against draft status tests; Romney joined a counterprotest against that group. He continued to enjoy occasional pranks. In July 1966, he began

14874-498: The 45th president of the United States (in office from 2017 to 2021), began on February 9, 2021, and concluded with his acquittal on February 13. Donald Trump had been impeached for the second time by the House of Representatives on January 13, 2021. The House adopted one article of impeachment against Trump: incitement of insurrection . He is the only U.S. president and only federal official to be impeached twice. He

15075-453: The Ampad plant owned by Bain Capital. The latter was effective in blunting Romney's momentum. Kennedy and Romney held a widely watched late October debate that had no clear winner, but by then, Kennedy had pulled ahead in polls and remained so. Romney spent $ 3 million of his own money on the race and more than $ 7 million overall. Despite a disastrous showing for Democrats nationwide , Kennedy won

15276-422: The Capitol attack. Joaquin Castro , Eric Swalwell , Madeleine Dean , and Stacey Plaskett also assisted in delivering the oral arguments for conviction. Trump's defense was led by Michael van der Veen , a personal injury lawyer from Philadelphia , along with David Schoen and Bruce Castor . Van der Veen's style and substance during the trial drew ridicule and criticism from many, with gasps and laughter in

15477-509: The Capitol, used the term fight "in the figurative sense" and not "to encourage acts of violence." Trump's lawyers also described some of Trump's acts, including a phone call in which Trump pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" additional votes for him to overturn Biden's victory in Georgia, as merely political. Trump's lawyers also repeated their free-speech argument, arguing that he could not be convicted due to

15678-499: The Congress to determine its convening and adjournment dates and other dates and schedules as it desires. Article 1, Section 3, provides that the president has the power to convene Congress on extraordinary occasions at his discretion. A member who has been elected, but not yet seated, is called a senator-elect ; a member who has been appointed to a seat, but not yet seated, is called a senator-designate . The Constitution requires that senators take an oath or affirmation to support

15879-430: The Constitution stipulates that no constitutional amendment may be created to deprive a state of its equal suffrage in the Senate without that state's consent. The United States has had 50 states since 1959, thus the Senate has had 100 senators since 1959. Before the adoption of the Seventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were elected by the individual state legislatures . Problems with repeated vacant seats due to

16080-519: The Constitution, the vice president serves as president of the Senate. They may vote in the Senate ( ex officio , for they are not an elected member of the Senate) in the case of a tie, but are not required to. For much of the nation's history the task of presiding over Senate sessions was one of the vice president's principal duties (the other being to receive from the states the tally of electoral ballots cast for president and vice president and to open

16281-537: The Constitution. Congress has prescribed the following oath for all federal officials (except the President), including senators: I, ___ ___, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge

16482-583: The FERS retirement plan and pay 6.2% of their salary in Social Security taxes. The amount of a senator's pension depends on the years of service and the average of the highest three years of their salary. The starting amount of a senator's retirement annuity may not exceed 80% of their final salary. In 2006, the average annual pension for retired senators and representatives under CSRS was $ 60,972, while those who retired under FERS, or in combination with CSRS,

16683-506: The First Amendment; a minority of legal scholars believe that the First Amendment applies in the impeachment context. The brief makes 15 references to a 2001 article on impeachment by prominent legal scholar Brian Kalt , asserting that he had concluded that impeaching a former president is unconstitutional. Kalt replied that Trump's lawyers made "flat-out misrepresentations" of his work and that he had actually concluded that there

16884-533: The Games' image had been damaged by allegations of bribery against top officials including prior committee president and CEO Frank Joklik. The Salt Lake Organizing Committee forced Joklik and committee vice president Dave Johnson to resign. Utah power brokers, including Governor Mike Leavitt , searched for someone with a scandal-free reputation to take charge of the Olympics. They chose Romney based on his business and legal expertise as well as his connections to both

17085-455: The Games's safety after the September 11 attacks by coordinating a $ 300 million security budget. He oversaw a $ 1.32 billion budget, 700 employees, and 26,000 volunteers. The federal government provided approximately $ 400 million to $ 600 million of that budget, much of it a result of Romney's having aggressively lobbied Congress and federal agencies. It was a record level of federal funding for

17286-491: The House and Senate have proceeded as though they can impeach and try people who have already left office, and in one case the Senate took a specific vote to that effect." There is precedent for impeaching and trying a federal official who already left office ("late impeachment"). In 1797, the House impeached Senator William Blount for conspiracy. The Senate tried him, even though it had already expelled him. In 1876, Secretary of War William W. Belknap resigned hours before

17487-400: The House of Representatives is exhibiting to the Senate of the United States articles of impeachment against Donald John Trump, the now former President of the United States. The summons to Trump was issued the same day. On January 26, Republican Senator Rand Paul forced a vote to dismiss the impeachment charge, on the basis that it was unconstitutional to try a past president. The motion

17688-425: The House voted for his impeachment on charges relating to his role in the trader post scandal , and the Senate proceeded to hold a trial, ruling by a vote of 37–29 that it did have jurisdiction after a challenge by Belknap's attorneys. Before the trial began, most Republicans in the Senate argued that the Senate lacks the constitutional authority to conduct an impeachment trial of a former president. This argument

17889-457: The House. The Senate and the House provide a check and balance on the powers of the executive and judicial branches of government. The composition and powers of the Senate are established by Article One of the United States Constitution . Each of the 50 states is represented by two senators who serve staggered six-year terms . In total, the Senate consists of 100 members. From its inception in 1789 until 1913, senators were appointed by

18090-530: The January 6 rally, was initially considered for a role on Trump's defense team, but he withdrew because his role at the rally made him a witness. Dershowitz, Pat Cipollone , and Jay Sekulow , who helped lead Trump's defense effort during his first impeachment trial, also declined to represent him. Other lawyers who defended Trump during his first impeachment trial, including former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi , Eric Herschmann , Patrick Philbin , and Marc Kasowitz , said they were not interested in joining

18291-560: The LDS Church and the state. The appointment faced some initial criticism from both non-Mormons and Mormons that it represented cronyism and made the Games seem too Mormon-dominated. Romney donated to charity the $ 1.4 million in salary and severance payments he received for his three years as president and CEO, and also donated $ 1 million to the Olympics. Romney restructured the organization's leadership and policies. He reduced budgets and boosted fundraising, alleviating corporate sponsors' concerns while recruiting new ones. Romney worked to ensure

18492-470: The LDS Church, he is a great-grandson of Miles Park Romney and a great-great-grandson of Miles Romney , who converted to Mormonism in its first decade. Another great-great-grandfather, Parley P. Pratt , helped lead the early church . Romney has three older siblings: Margo, Jane, and Scott. Mitt was the youngest by nearly six years. His parents named him after a family friend, businessman J. Willard Marriott , and his father's cousin, Milton "Mitt" Romney ,

18693-595: The Republican nomination for the Senate seat, but Romney proved the most effective fundraiser. He won 68% of the vote at the May 1994 Massachusetts Republican Party convention; businessman John Lakian finished a distant second, eliminating Jeghelian. Romney defeated Lakian in the September 1994 primary with more than 80% of the vote. In the general election, Kennedy faced the first serious reelection challenge of his career. The younger, telegenic, and well-funded Romney ran as

18894-443: The Senate mails one of three forms to the state's governor to inform them of the proper wording to certify the appointment of a new senator. If a special election for one seat happens to coincide with a general election for the state's other seat, each seat is contested separately. A senator elected in a special election takes office as soon as possible after the election and serves until the original six-year term expires (i.e. not for

19095-470: The Senate back into session immediately after the House transmitted the article of impeachment, and also to advance the confirmation process for Biden's cabinet nominees so that the incoming administration's team would be in place on day one. Some, including House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC), initially suggested that the House might transmit the article of impeachment to the Senate at a later date (possibly after Biden's first 100 days as president), giving

19296-418: The Senate could speed up impeachment proceedings (completing the process in a few days, rather than a few weeks) through a process akin to civil summary judgment . This would be permissible under the Constitution, which specifies that the Senate must "try" articles of impeachment and vote to convict (remove) by a two-thirds majority, but allows the Senate to set its own trial rules or procedures, as reaffirmed by

19497-463: The Senate could split its days between the trial and other business, rather than having all its time consumed by the trial. Former Senate Parliamentarian Alan Frumin said that Senate rules would permit such a course. McConnell told Biden that he would consult with the Senate parliamentarian . Schumer, who would replace McConnell as Senate majority leader, said that a Senate trial could begin immediately. Law professor Ronald Krotoszynski wrote that

19698-400: The Senate floor that President Trump "provoked" the mob that stormed the Capitol. However, McConnell announced on the morning of February 13 that he would vote to acquit Trump. Article I, Section 3, Clause 6 of the U.S. Constitution states that "The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments." Per the Senate's impeachment rules adopted in 1986, the submission of the articles to

19899-444: The Senate has several officers who are not members. The Senate's chief administrative officer is the secretary of the Senate , who maintains public records, disburses salaries, monitors the acquisition of stationery and supplies, and oversees clerks. The assistant secretary of the Senate aids the secretary's work. Another official is the sergeant at arms who, as the Senate's chief law enforcement officer, maintains order and security on

20100-484: The Senate initiated the trial. Speaker Pelosi signed the article of impeachment on January 13, 2021. The article was formally transmitted to the Senate on January 25, 2021. On January 26, the House impeachment managers, accompanied by the clerk of the House and the acting House sergeant at arms , conducted the ceremonial procession from the House to the Senate (across the National Statuary Hall and

20301-488: The Senate leadership will find a way to deal with their constitutional responsibilities on impeachment while also working on the other urgent business of this nation." Biden said his priority is enacting a new stimulus bill and rebuilding the economy. He discussed with McConnell the possibility of "bifurcating" the Senate calendar, allowing the trial to proceed while also allowing other business (such as nominations and legislation) to move forward without delay. Under this plan,

20502-541: The Senate premises. The Capitol Police handle routine police work, with the sergeant at arms primarily responsible for general oversight. Other employees include the chaplain , who is elected by the Senate, and pages , who are appointed. The Senate uses Standing Rules for operation. Like the House of Representatives , the Senate meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. At one end of

20703-414: The Senate time to consider Biden's legislative program and confirm his nominees. However, House Democrats opposed a delay, stating that Trump remained a danger while he was in office, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said on January 14 that the article of impeachment would be transmitted to the Senate without delay. After the House impeached Trump, President-elect Biden stated, "I hope that

20904-487: The Senate when he stated that he would seek to depose at least 100 people at his Philadelphia office, including Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi and Vice President Kamala Harris . Trump had originally hired Butch Bowers and Deborah Barbier to represent him, but they quit along with three other lawyers after "the former president wanted the lawyers representing him to focus on his allegations of mass election fraud" and his false claim that "the election

21105-503: The Supreme Court ), flag officers , regulatory officials, ambassadors , other federal executive officials , and federal uniformed officers . If no candidate receives a majority of electors for vice president , the duty falls to the Senate to elect one of the top two recipients of electors for that office. The Senate conducts trials of officials who have been impeached by the House. The Senate has typically been considered both

21306-530: The U.S. Supreme Court in Nixon v. United States (1993). On January 22, 2021, it was announced that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would transfer the article of impeachment to the Senate on January 25, with the Senate trial expected to be held during the week of February 8. A Congressional Research Service report concluded "that while the matter is open to debate, the weight of scholarly authority agrees that former officials may be impeached and tried." Ahead of

21507-409: The United States serves as presiding officer and president of the Senate by virtue of that office ; the vice president may vote only if the Senate is equally divided. In the vice president's absence, the president pro tempore , who is traditionally the most senior member of the Senate's majority party, presides over the Senate, and more often by rule allows a junior senator to take the chair, guided by

21708-536: The United States Constitution disqualifies as senators any federal or state officers who had taken the requisite oath to support the Constitution but who later engaged in rebellion or aided the enemies of the United States. This provision, which came into force soon after the end of the Civil War, was intended to prevent those who had sided with the Confederacy from serving. That Amendment, however, also provides

21909-479: The United States for at least nine years; and (3) they must be inhabitants of the states they seek to represent at the time of their election. The age and citizenship qualifications for senators are more stringent than those for representatives. In Federalist No. 62 , James Madison justified this arrangement by arguing that the "senatorial trust" called for a "greater extent of information and stability of character": A senator must be thirty years of age at least; as

22110-417: The advice of Bain Capital lawyers, Romney met the strikers, but told them he had no position of active authority in the matter. By 1999, Bain Capital was on its way to becoming one of the foremost private equity firms in the nation, having increased its number of partners from 5 to 18, with 115 employees and $ 4 billion under management. The firm's average annual internal rate of return on realized investments

22311-524: The appearance of confidence of a guy who was maybe ten years older." Unlike other consulting firms, which issued recommendations and then departed, Bain & Company immersed itself in a client's businesses and worked with them until changes were implemented. Romney became a vice president of the firm in 1978, working with such clients as the Monsanto Company , Outboard Marine Corporation , Burlington Industries , and Corning Incorporated . Within

22512-416: The attack on the Capitol in Washington, D.C. , while Congress was convened to count the electoral votes and certify the victory of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. At the beginning of the trial, Senator Rand Paul forced a vote to dismiss the impeachment charge on the basis that it was unconstitutional to try a former president, arguing that impeachment only applies to current federal officers and that

22713-409: The bill. A bill can be held for as long as the senator who objects to the bill wishes to block its consideration. Holds can be overcome, but require time-consuming procedures such as filing cloture. Holds are considered private communications between a senator and the leader, and are sometimes referred to as "secret holds". A senator may disclose the placement of a hold. The Constitution provides that

22914-548: The board of the Points of Light Foundation , which had embraced his father's National Volunteer Center . Romney felt restless as the decade neared a close; making more money held little attraction for him. Although no longer in a local leadership position in his church, he still taught Sunday School . During the long and controversial approval and construction process for the $ 30-million Mormon temple in Belmont , he feared that, as

23115-550: The brief some elements of the Capitol insurrection consisted of anti-Trump rather than pro-Trump figures. The brief also denies that Trump took no steps to halt the violence, described him as "horrified" by the scene and asserting that there was a "flurry of activity" inside the White House constrained by "complex procedural elements"; this revisionist account is contradicted by the actual sequence of events on January 6, when Trump initially ignored requests for him to restrain

23316-483: The certificates "in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives", so that the total votes could be counted). Since the 1950s, vice presidents have presided over few Senate debates. Instead, they have usually presided only on ceremonial occasions, such as swearing in new senators, joint sessions, or at times to announce the result of significant legislation or nomination, or when a tie vote on an important issue

23517-409: The chamber of the Senate is a dais from which the presiding officer presides. The lower tier of the dais is used by clerks and other officials. Sessions of the Senate are opened with a special prayer or invocation and typically convene on weekdays. Sessions of the Senate are generally open to the public and are broadcast live on television, usually by C-SPAN 2 . Senate procedure depends not only on

23718-522: The church's local lay clergy . In the early 1970s, he served in a ward bishopric. He then served for a time as a seminary teacher and then as a member of the stake high council of the Boston Stake while Richard L. Bushman was stake president. In 1977, he became a counselor to the president of the Boston Stake. He served as bishop of the ward at Belmont, Massachusetts, from 1981 to 1986. As such, in addition to home teaching , he also formulated Sunday services and classes using LDS scriptures to guide

23919-461: The committee had nearly $ 1 billion in committed revenues at that time. Olympics critic Steve Pace, who led Utahns for Responsible Public Spending, thought Romney exaggerated the initial fiscal state to lay the groundwork for a well-publicized rescue. Kenneth Bullock, another board member of the organizing committee and also head of the Utah League of Cities and Towns , often clashed with Romney at

24120-463: The congregation. After the destruction of the Belmont meetinghouse by a fire of suspicious origins in 1984, he forged links with other religious institutions, allowing the congregation to rotate its meetings to other houses of worship during the reconstruction of the Belmont building. From 1986 to 1994, Romney was president of the Boston Stake, which included more than a dozen wards in eastern Massachusetts and almost 4,000 church members. He organized

24321-413: The conviction of Trump, stating that the evidence was clear and straightforward. Assuming all Democratic senators (and the two independent senators caucusing with the Democrats) had voted to convict Trump, 17 Republican senators would have needed to vote to secure the two-thirds majority for conviction. If Trump had been convicted, then the Senate could have disqualified him from holding any federal office by

24522-607: The day by a vote of 5–4 in what became known as the Connecticut Compromise . The Connecticut Compromise provided, among other things, that each state—regardless of population—would be represented by two senators. First convened in 1789, the Senate of the United States was formed on the example of the ancient Roman Senate . The name is derived from the senatus , Latin for council of elders , derived from senex , meaning old man in Latin. Article Five of

24723-539: The defense for the second trial. Some of them privately expressed their belief that Trump's actions were indefensible. Trump and congressional Republicans considered designating two of Trump's most vociferous defenders in Congress ;– Jim Jordan and Elise Stefanik  – to represent him, even though neither is an attorney. Congressman Matt Gaetz suggested he would resign his position in Congress to represent Trump if asked to be part of

24924-540: The defense team under Bowers: Deborah Barbier, a Columbia, South Carolina , criminal defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor who has represented high-profile, controversial clients; former acting U.S. Attorney General Johnny Gasser; criminal defense attorney Greg Harris; and Josh Howard of North Carolina . However, the defense attorneys all withdrew on January 30, one week before the trial. The departures occurred after Trump clashed with his attorneys on strategy and fees. Trump wanted to focus on his false claims that

25125-547: The desire of some Massachusetts members to have a more flexible application of religious doctrine. He agreed with some requests from a liberal women's group that published Exponent II calling for changes in the way the church dealt with women, but he clashed with women he felt were departing too much from doctrine. In particular, he counseled women not to have abortions except in the rare cases allowed by LDS doctrine and encouraged unmarried women facing unplanned pregnancies to give their babies up for adoption. Romney later said that

25326-572: The disease, she found – while living in Park City , Utah, where the couple had built a vacation home – a combination of mainstream, alternative, and equestrian therapies that enabled her to lead a lifestyle mostly without limitations. When her husband received a job offer to take over the troubled organization responsible for the 2002 Winter Olympics and Paralympics , to be held in Salt Lake City in Utah, she urged him to accept it; eager for

25527-524: The duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God. The annual salary of each senator, since 2009, is $ 174,000; the president pro tempore and party leaders receive $ 193,400. In 2003, at least 40 senators were millionaires; by 2018, over 50 senators were millionaires (partly due to inflation). Along with earning salaries, senators receive retirement and health benefits that are identical to other federal employees, and are fully vested after five years of service. Senators are covered by

25728-405: The election results were suspect". The House had predicted that Trump would use the First Amendment for his defense, which they countered in their brief that the First Amendment was not applicable to an impeachment trial, writing: "The First Amendment protects private citizens from the government; it does not protect government officials from accountability for their own abuses in office." Quoting

25929-566: The election was "stolen" from him, in contrast to the lawyers, who insisted on focusing on the legality of convicting a former president. Trump was unhappy with the fees and expenses estimated by the lawyers. None of the lawyers had been paid any advance fees nor had they signed letters of intent. On February 1, after the collapse of his earlier legal team, Trump announced that David Schoen and Bruce Castor would be his new defense lawyers. Pennsylvania attorneys Michael van der Veen and William J. Brennan joined Schoen and Castor as part of

26130-456: The election with 58% of the vote to Romney's 41%, the smallest margin in any of Kennedy's reelection campaigns for the Senate. The day after the election, Romney returned to Bain Capital, but the loss had a lasting effect; he told his brother, "I never want to run for something again unless I can win." When his father died in 1995, Mitt donated his inheritance to BYU's George W. Romney Institute of Public Management . He also became vice-chair of

26331-449: The election. It said he had "threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power , and imperiled a coequal branch of Government" in a way that rendered him "a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution". A total of 218 of the 222 House Democrats co-sponsored the article of impeachment, assuring its passage. The House passed the article of impeachment on January 13, 2021, by

26532-479: The final category above – Arizona , Hawaii , Kentucky , Maryland , Montana , North Carolina , Oklahoma , Utah , West Virginia , and Wyoming – the governor must appoint someone of the same political party as the previous incumbent. In September 2009, Massachusetts changed its law to enable the governor to appoint a temporary replacement for the late senator Edward Kennedy until the special election in January 2010. In 2004, Alaska enacted legislation and

26733-412: The firm concluded in early 2002; he transferred his ownership to other partners and negotiated an agreement that allowed him to receive a share of the profits as a retired partner in some Bain Capital entities, including buyout and investment funds. The private equity business continued to thrive, earning him millions of dollars in annual income. During his business career, Romney held several positions in

26934-433: The firm had concluded its role. Exactly how many jobs Bain Capital added compared to those lost because of these investments and buyouts is unknown, owing to a lack of records and Bain Capital's penchant for privacy for itself and its investors. Maximizing the value of acquired companies and the return to Bain's investors, not job creation, was the firm's primary investment goal. Bain Capital's acquisition of Ampad exemplified

27135-494: The firm to keep people motivated, often keeping less than 10% for himself. Data-driven, he often played the role of a devil's advocate during exhaustive analysis of whether to go forward with a deal. He wanted to drop a Bain Capital hedge fund that initially lost money, but other partners disagreed with him and it eventually made billions. He opted out of the Artisan Entertainment deal, not wanting to profit from

27336-665: The firm to return substantial amounts, and persuaded creditors, including the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation , to accept less than full payment. Within about a year, he led Bain & Company to a return to profitability. He then turned it over to new leadership and returned to Bain Capital in December 1992. Romney took a leave of absence from Bain Capital from November 1993 to November 1994 to run for U.S. Senate. During that time, Ampad workers went on strike and asked Romney to intervene. Against

27537-433: The firm, and conducting prolonged negotiations for the terms of his departure. He did not involve himself in the firm's day-to-day operations or the investment decisions of its new private equity funds. He retained his position on several boards of directors during this time and regularly returned to Massachusetts to attend meetings. In August 2001, Romney announced that he would not return to Bain Capital. His separation from

27738-877: The first impeachment trial case, including Susanne Sachsman Grooms from the House Oversight and Reform Committee, and Aaron Hiller, Arya Hariharan, Sarah Istel and Amy Rutkin from the Judiciary Committee. The House also temporarily called back Barry H. Berke , a seasoned New York defense lawyer, to serve as chief counsel, along with Joshua Matz, a constitutional expert. It was initially unclear who would be on Trump's legal team, as numerous prominent law firms had refused to represent him. The Lincoln Project had publicly pressed law firms not to do so. Law & Crime reported that "essentially all respectable law firms and attorneys" were distancing themselves from him. Rudy Giuliani , as Trump's personal lawyer,

27939-413: The general election and candidates receiving a majority of the votes is declared the winner, skipping a run-off. In Maine and Alaska , ranked-choice voting is used to nominate and elect candidates for federal offices, including the Senate. The Seventeenth Amendment requires that vacancies in the Senate be filled by special election. Whenever a senator must be appointed or elected, the secretary of

28140-582: The governor's office. Romney took up residence at Cranbrook when his newly elected father began spending most of his time at the state capitol . At Cranbrook, Romney helped manage the ice hockey team, and joined the pep squad . During his senior year, he joined the cross country running team. He belonged to 11 school organizations and school clubs , including the Blue Key Club, a booster group he had started. During his final year there, his academic record improved but fell short of excellence. Romney

28341-479: The impeached officer was President at the time of impeachment", and thus that Roberts should preside even after Trump left office. Vladeck pointed out that "if Trump resigned (or his term ended) mid-trial, it would be more than a little odd for the Chief Justice to give way to the Vice President." Georgia State University law professor Neil Kinkopf argued that "a trial of a President (even a former President)

28542-503: The inability of a legislature to elect senators, intrastate political struggles, bribery and intimidation gradually led to a growing movement to amend the Constitution to allow for the direct election of senators. In contrast to the House of Representatives, the Senate has historically had stronger norms of conduct for its members. Article I, Section 3, of the Constitution , sets three qualifications for senators: (1) they must be at least 30 years old; (2) they must have been citizens of

28743-519: The industrial and medical sectors. Much of the firm's profit was earned from a relatively small number of deals; Bain Capital's overall success-to-failure ratio was about even. Romney discovered few investment opportunities himself (and those that he did often failed to make money for the firm). Instead, he focused on analyzing the merits of possible deals that others brought forward and on recruiting investors to participate in them once approved. At Bain Capital, Romney spread profits from deals widely within

28944-416: The inside of the desk's drawer with a pen. Except for the president of the Senate (who is the vice president), the Senate elects its own officers, who maintain order and decorum, manage and schedule the legislative and executive business of the Senate, and interpret the Senate's rules, practices and precedents. Many non-member officers are also hired to run various day-to-day functions of the Senate. Under

29145-434: The issue is "unsettled, completely without precedent, and unspecific in existing Senate rules and precedents." The University of North Carolina law professor Michael Gerhardt , an expert on impeachment, said he believed that if the impeachment trial began after Trump left office, Harris, as opposed to Roberts, would preside. Conversely, University of Texas law professor Steve Vladeck said that "the question should be whether

29346-418: The last third expired after six years. This arrangement was also followed after the admission of new states into the union. The staggering of terms has been arranged such that both seats from a given state are not contested in the same general election, except when a vacancy is being filled. Class I comprises Senators whose six-year terms are set to expire on January 3, 2025. There is no constitutional limit to

29547-436: The layoffs that sometimes occurred, Romney said in 2007: "Sometimes the medicine is a little bitter but it is necessary to save the life of the patient. My job was to try and make the enterprise successful, and in my view the best security a family can have is that the business they work for is strong." In 1990, facing financial collapse, Bain & Company asked Romney to return. Announced as its new CEO in January 1991, he drew

29748-607: The legal team. Both Jordan and Stefanik had voted to reject electoral votes for Biden, even after the president's supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6. In late January, Trump formed a defense team of five attorneys to be led by Butch Bowers, a South Carolina -based lawyer who helped former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford fight off being removed from office and who also helped former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley during an ethics investigation. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina had arranged Trump's hiring of Bowers. Subsequently, four more lawyers were named to

29949-571: The license and wanting to continue a family outing, Romney took it out anyway, saying he would pay the fine. The ranger arrested him for disorderly conduct . The charges were dropped several days later. In 1983, on a 12-hour family road trip, he placed the family's dog in a windshield-equipped carrier on the roof of their car , and then washed the car and carrier after the dog suffered a bout of diarrhea. The dog incident in particular later became fodder for Romney's critics and political opponents. In 1984, Romney left Bain & Company to co-found and lead

30150-442: The media and other sources by party and state; for example, Democratic majority leader Chuck Schumer , who represents New York, may be identified as "D–New York" or (D-NY). And sometimes they are identified as to whether they are the junior or senior senator in their state ( see above ). Unless in the context of elections, they are rarely identified by which one of the three classes of senators they are in. The Senate may expel

30351-400: The mob, and was described by multiple Trump administration officials and others in contact with him on that day as delighted at the halting of the electoral vote count. Trump's lawyers argued that Trump did not incite the rioters and that his comments and rhetoric about fighting was metaphorical rather than a call for violence. They contended that Trump, in the rally preceding the assault on

30552-479: The motion . This was the first time that a former president had been tried, and only the second time the Senate tried someone who had already left office, after Secretary of War William W. Belknap in 1876. Jamie Raskin was the lead impeachment manager and the primary author – along with Representative David Cicilline and Representative Ted Lieu  – of the impeachment article, which charged Trump with inciting an insurrection by sparking

30753-498: The nation or prosecuting lawmakers who participated in the riot, they instead intend "to callously harness the chaos of the moment for their own political gain." Unusual for legal documents, Trump's lawyers invoked partisan rhetoric, writing that Democrats suffer from " Trump Derangement Syndrome "; sought to "silence a political opponent and a minority party" as part of a years-long effort ; and "hunger for this political theater" that would be "a danger to our Republic [sic] democracy and

30954-420: The nation, stating: "President Trump has demonstrated beyond doubt that he will resort to any method to maintain or reassert his grip on power. A president who violently attacks the democratic process has no right to participate in it." The impeachment managers argued that the expiration of Trump's term, and his new status as a private citizen, did not present a bar to Senate trial and conviction, writing: "There

31155-492: The newly bought companies' assets as collateral, taking steps to improve the companies' value, and then selling those companies when their value peaked, usually within a few years. Bain Capital lost money in many of its early leveraged buyouts, but then found deals that made large returns. The firm invested in or acquired Accuride Corporation , Brookstone , Domino's Pizza , Sealy Corporation , Sports Authority , and Artisan Entertainment , as well as some lesser-known companies in

31356-702: The next day, they flew to Utah for a Mormon wedding ceremony at the Salt Lake Temple ; Ann had converted to the faith while he was away. Romney had missed much of the tumultuous anti-Vietnam War movement in America while in France. Upon his return, he was surprised to learn that his father had joined that movement during his unsuccessful 1968 presidential campaign . George was now serving in President Richard Nixon's cabinet as United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development . In

31557-456: The nominee may receive only a plurality, while in some states, a runoff is required if no majority was achieved. In the general election, the winner is the candidate who receives a plurality of the popular vote. However, in five states, different methods are used. In Georgia , a runoff between the top two candidates occurs if the plurality winner in the general election does not also win a majority. In California , Washington , and Louisiana ,

31758-454: The number of terms a senator may serve. The Constitution set the date for Congress to convene — Article 1, Section 4, Clause 2, originally set that date for the third day of December. The Twentieth Amendment , however, changed the opening date for sessions to noon on the third day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different day. The Twentieth Amendment also states that the Congress shall assemble at least once every year, and allows

31959-408: The oath book. Each was required to take the following oath or make the affirmation : Oath: I solemnly swear that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of Donald John Trump, then, now former, President of the United States, now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws: So help me God. Affirmation: I affirm that in all things appertaining to

32160-569: The only time when "most of what I was trying to do was rejected." Romney soon gained recognition within the mission for the many homes he called on and the repeat visits he was granted. He became a zone leader in Bordeaux in early 1968, and soon thereafter became an assistant to the mission president in Paris. While in Paris, Romney resided at the Mission Home for several months, and enjoyed

32361-463: The party. By custom, the leader of each party sits in the front row along the center aisle. Forty-eight of the desks date back to 1819, when the Senate chamber was reconstructed after the original contents were destroyed in the 1812 Burning of Washington . Further desks of similar design were added as new states entered the Union. It is a tradition that each senator who uses a desk inscribes their name on

32562-470: The pre-trial briefing schedule was set. The House of Representatives, through the nine Democratic impeachment managers, filed an 80-page pretrial brief on February 2. The detailed brief stated that Trump was "singularly responsible" for the violent attack on the Capitol on January 6, citing his preceding campaign to undermine democracy and overthrow the election, and argued that acquitting Trump and failing to disqualify him from future office would gravely harm

32763-405: The prepossessions and habits incident to foreign birth and education. The term of nine years appears to be a prudent mediocrity between a total exclusion of adopted citizens, whose merits and talents may claim a share in the public confidence, and an indiscriminate and hasty admission of them, which might create a channel for foreign influence on the national councils. The Senate (not the judiciary)

32964-420: The presentation team. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said: "The evidence is Trump's own words, recorded on video. It's a question of whether Republicans want to step up and face history." Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) said, "This is a very simple allegation. It is incitement to insurrection. We could conduct a trial in a concise amount of time because the evidence that's needed is pretty direct." In

33165-513: The punishment of removal from office was moot under the circumstances. Supporters of proceeding with the trial argued that the Constitution also permits disqualification from holding future office, which the House had requested in its article of impeachment. The motion was defeated in a 55–45 vote, with all Democrats, both independents, and five Republicans ( Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania) voting against

33366-553: The purpose of the trial is not nullified if the impeached person no longer holds public office. Gregg Nunziata, a former Republican lawyer for the Senate Judiciary Committee , similarly noted that because impeachment power includes the power to disqualify the person from federal office for life, allowing officeholders to evade this by resigning would render "this important punishment ... a nullity." Leading conservative lawyer Charles J. Cooper agreed, writing in

33567-426: The quorum as present; instead, quorum calls are generally used to temporarily delay proceedings. Usually, such delays are used while waiting for a senator to reach the floor to speak or to give leaders time to negotiate. Once the need for a delay has ended, a senator may request unanimous consent to rescind the quorum call. Second impeachment trial of Donald Trump The second impeachment trial of Donald Trump ,

33768-461: The responsibility of presiding to a majority-party senator who presides over the Senate, usually in blocks of one hour on a rotating basis. Frequently, freshmen senators (newly elected members) are asked to preside so that they may become accustomed to the rules and procedures of the body. It is said that, "in practice they are usually mere mouthpieces for the Senate's parliamentarian , who whispers what they should do". The presiding officer sits in

33969-399: The results of votes. Each party elects Senate party leaders . Floor leaders act as the party chief spokesmen. The Senate majority leader is responsible for controlling the agenda of the chamber by scheduling debates and votes. Each party elects an assistant leader (whip) , who works to ensure that his party's senators vote as the party leadership desires. In addition to the vice president,

34170-407: The rights that we hold dear." Seeking to distance Trump from his supporters who assaulted the Capitol, his lawyers wrote that "the people who criminally breached the Capitol did so of their own accord and for their own reasons, and they are being criminally prosecuted." Trump's lawyers, citing discredited sources such as the conspiracy theorist The Gateway Pundit website, also falsely claimed in

34371-434: The rules, but also on a variety of customs and traditions. The Senate commonly waives some of its stricter rules by unanimous consent . Unanimous consent agreements are typically negotiated beforehand by party leaders. A senator may block such an agreement, but in practice, objections are rare. The presiding officer enforces the rules of the Senate, and may warn members who deviate from them. The presiding officer sometimes uses

34572-428: The run-up to the trial, a number of Republican senators opposed holding a trial. Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky continued to make claims of election fraud. Other Senate Republicans, such as Marco Rubio of Florida, contended that a Senate trial would be too divisive and that it would be "arrogant" for the Senate to exercise its power to bar Trump from holding office in the future. Senate Democrats favored

34773-450: The spin-off private equity investment firm Bain Capital. He initially refrained from accepting Bill Bain's offer to head the new venture until Bain rearranged the terms in a complicated partnership structure so that there was no financial or professional risk to Romney. Bain and Romney raised the $ 37 million needed to start the new operation, which had seven employees. Romney held the titles of president and managing general partner. Though he

34974-455: The staging of a U.S. Olympics. An additional $ 1.1 billion of indirect federal funding came to the state in the form of highway and transit projects. Romney emerged as the local public face of the Olympic effort, appearing in photographs, in news stories, on collectible Olympics pins depicting him wrapped by an American flag, and on buttons carrying phrases like "Hey, Mitt, we love you!" Organizing committee chair Robert H. Garff later said, "It

35175-544: The standard established in Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969), a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court interpreting the First Amendment, the House added that "speech is not protected where it is 'directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action." Nearly 150 leading First Amendment lawyers and constitutional scholars from across the political spectrum found Trump's First Amendment assertion "legally frivolous" and not

35376-403: The time, and later said that Romney deserved some credit for the turnaround but not as much as he claimed. Bullock said: "He tried very hard to build an image of himself as a savior, the great white hope. He was very good at characterizing and castigating people and putting himself on a pedestal." United States Senate Minority (49) The United States Senate is the upper chamber of

35577-416: The trial because he believed that the chief justice only presided when the current president was tried. Patrick Leahy , president pro tempore of the Senate , presided over the trial, in place of Vice President Kamala Harris , the ex officio president of the Senate , who might have involved herself if any tie-breaking votes were needed. Prior to the selection of Leahy as presiding officer, there

35778-432: The trial of the impeachment of Donald John Trump, then, now former, President of the United States, now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws. The acting Senate sergeant-at-arms , Jennifer Hemmingway , then read aloud the following proclamation to mark the beginning of the proceedings: Hear ye! Hear ye! Hear ye! All persons are commanded to keep silent, on pain of imprisonment, while

35979-442: The trial, 150 legal scholars from across the political spectrum published a letter affirming "that the Constitution permits the impeachment, conviction, and disqualification of former officers, including presidents." Law professors Laurence H. Tribe and Stephen I. Vladeck argued that because removal from office is only one of the two possible consequences of a conviction (the other being disqualification from holding public office),

36180-829: The unpopularity of the Democratic Congress as a whole, and in part because this was Kennedy's first election since the William Kennedy Smith trial in Florida, in which Kennedy's reputation had suffered. Romney changed his affiliation to Republican in October 1993 and formally announced his candidacy in February 1994. In addition to his leave from Bain Capital , Romney also stepped down from his church leadership role in 1994. Radio personality Janet Jeghelian took an early lead in polls among candidates for

36381-410: The vote. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) worked to persuade other Republicans to vote against conviction. In January, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell , the former Senate Majority Leader, reportedly told senators their decision on whether to convict the outgoing president would be a "vote of conscience" and told colleagues he was undecided whether he himself would vote to convict. He later stated on

36582-451: The wife of the mission president. Romney then became co-president of a mission that had become demoralized and disorganized after the May 1968 general strike and student uprisings and the car accident. With Romney rallying the others, the mission met its goal of 200 baptisms for the year, the most in a decade. By the end of his stint in December 1968, he was overseeing the work of 175 others. As

36783-412: The years spent as an LDS minister gave him direct exposure to people struggling financially and empathy for those with family problems. For much of his business career, Romney did not take public political stances. He had kept abreast of national politics since college, and the circumstances of his father's presidential campaign loss had irked him for decades. He registered as an Independent and voted in

36984-402: Was $ 35,952. By tradition, seniority is a factor in the selection of physical offices and in party caucuses' assignment of committees. When senators have been in office for the same length of time, a number of tiebreakers are used, including comparing their former government service and then their respective state population. The senator in each state with the longer time in office is known as

37185-480: Was 113% and its average yearly return to investors was around 50–80%. Starting in February 1999, Romney took a paid leave of absence from Bain Capital in order to serve as the president and CEO of the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games Organizing Committee . Billed in some public statements as keeping a part-time role, Romney remained the firm's sole shareholder, managing director, CEO, and president, signing corporate and legal documents, attending to his interests within

37386-511: Was a 1986 investment to help start Staples Inc. , after founder Thomas G. Stemberg convinced Romney of the market size for office supplies and Romney convinced others; Bain Capital eventually reaped a nearly sevenfold return on its investment, and Romney sat on Staples's board of directors for over a decade. Romney soon switched Bain Capital's focus from startups to the relatively new business of leveraged buyouts : buying existing companies with money mostly borrowed from banking institutions using

37587-445: Was also made by former federal appellate judge J. Michael Luttig , as well as one of Trump's lawyers at his first impeachment trial , Harvard Law School professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz , and law professor Jonathan Turley , who testified in Trump's favor at his first trial. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in an interview with MSNBC 's Rachel Maddow , that Chief Justice John Roberts had declined to preside over

37788-399: Was born in 1970 while they were undergraduates at BYU and living in a basement apartment . Their son Matthew was born in 1971 and Joshua in 1975. Benjamin (1978) and Craig (1981) were born after Romney had begun his career. Romney wanted to pursue a business career, but his father advised him that a law degree ( Juris Doctor ) would be valuable to his career even if he never practiced law. As

37989-560: Was born on March 12, 1947, at Harper University Hospital in Detroit , Michigan, one of four children born to automobile executive George W. Romney and former actress and homemaker Lenore Romney (née LaFount). His mother was a native of Logan, Utah , and his father was born to American parents in a Mormon colony in Chihuahua , Mexico. Of primarily English descent, he also has Scottish and German ancestry. A fifth-generation member of

38190-500: Was debate as to who constitutionally should hold that role. Article I, Section 3, Clause   6 of the U.S. Constitution states that the Senate has the sole power to try impeachments and that "When the President of the United States is tried the Chief Justice shall preside." Various commentators questioned whether the chief justice must preside over the trial of former presidents. Political scientist Keith Whittington noted that

38391-473: Was defeated 55–45, with all Democrats, both the independents, and five Republicans ( Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mitt Romney of Utah, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania) voting against the motion . The vote was seen as a "test vote" and was viewed as a strong indication that the Senate would not reach the two-thirds majority required to convict Trump. Under an agreement between Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell,

38592-415: Was elected to the Senate at the age of 29; he waited until he turned 30 (on the next June 19) to take the oath of office. On November 7, 1972, Joe Biden was elected to the Senate at the age of 29, which was only 13 days prior to his 30th birthday on November 20, 1972. Therefore, he reached his 30th birthday before the swearing-in ceremony for incoming senators in January 1973. The Fourteenth Amendment to

38793-454: Was impeached by the House seven days prior to the expiration of his term and the inauguration of Joe Biden . Because he left office before the trial, this was the first impeachment trial of a former president. The article of impeachment addressed Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results (including his claims of election fraud and his efforts to pressure election officials in Georgia ) and stated that Trump incited

38994-463: Was involved in several pranks while attending Cranbrook. He has since apologized for them, stating that some of them may have gone too far. In March of his senior year, he began dating Ann Davies ; she attended the private Kingswood School , Cranbrook's sister school. The two became informally engaged around the time he graduated from high school in June 1965. Romney attended Stanford University during

39195-416: Was left out of early conversations about the upcoming defense, and Trump ordered his aides to stop paying Giuliani. On January 18, one day after meeting with Trump, Giuliani said he would not represent him, stating, "Because I gave an earlier speech [at the rally], I am a witness and therefore unable to participate in court or in the Senate chamber." Similarly, John Eastman , who joined Giuliani on stage at

39396-468: Was no barrier to a former president giving testimony (and noted that Presidents Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton had testified in office, and the Supreme Court held in Trump v. Vance (2020) that Trump was not immune from legal process while serving as president). Trump's lawyers Castor and Schoen responded to Raskin the same day in a terse letter declining the invitation. In their response, they called

39597-476: Was nonideological and did not involve himself in the political issues of the day. Romney graduated from Harvard in 1975. He was named a Baker Scholar for graduating in the top 5% of his business school class and received his Juris Doctor degree cum laude for ranking in the top third of his law school class. After receiving his JD–MBA from Harvard, Romney passed the Michigan bar exam but decided to pursue

39798-445: Was obvious that he had an agenda larger than just the Olympics", and that Romney wanted to use the Olympics to propel himself into the national spotlight and a political career. Garff believed the initial budget situation was not as bad as Romney portrayed, given there were still three years to reorganize. Utah Senator Bob Bennett said that much of the needed federal money was already in place. A Boston Globe analysis later found that

39999-401: Was stolen from him." At the conclusion of the trial, the Senate voted 57–43 to convict Trump of inciting insurrection, falling 10 votes short of the two-thirds majority required by the Constitution , and Trump was therefore acquitted. Seven Republican senators joined all Democratic and independent senators in voting to convict Trump, the largest bipartisan vote for an impeachment conviction of

40200-530: Was the lone Republican to vote to convict Donald Trump in his first impeachment trial , making him the first senator ever to have voted to remove a president of the same party from office. Romney also voted to convict in Trump's second trial in 2021. He marched alongside Black Lives Matter protestors, voted to confirm both Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court , supported gun control measures, and did not vote for Trump in

40401-408: Was the sole shareholder of the firm, publications also called him managing director or CEO. Initially, Bain Capital focused on venture capital investments. Romney set up a system in which any partner could veto one of these potential opportunities, and he personally saw so many weaknesses that few venture capital investments were approved in the initial two years. The firm's first significant success

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