Senator Manchin has proposed censuring President Trump rather than impeaching him. (See previous post.) Here’s more evidence from The Hill that it’s not going to happen:

Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), asked if there was an appetite for a potential censure, said, “No. Zero.”
A spokesman for McConnell declined to answer a question about the resolution. McConnell didn’t directly address the idea of censuring Trump during a floor speech on Tuesday but upbraided House Democrats calling the articles of impeachment “constitutionally incoherent” and “dangerous.”

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said he interpreted McConnell’s comments as closing the door on any talk of censuring Trump.

Additionally, as The Washington Post has pointed out:

Moreover, Trump will not give Republicans a pass to censure him anymore than he would tolerate conviction. Since Republicans really only care about one question — “What does Trump want?” — there seems to be nothing in it for them. Indeed, virtually all of them are supporting Trump for reelection.

I think blogger Charlie Pierce nicely summed this up:

The idea that El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago, who transparently doesn’t take seriously laws passed by the Senate, would be stopped by a paper censure is beyond hilarious. The Senate failed its constitutional and institutional responsibilities by refusing to hold a real trial on the facts of impeachment. Any action it takes now is emptier than its soul.

My hunch is that Manchin proposed censure to soften the reaction to his votes today on the two articles of impeachment. (It’s scheduled for 4 PM today.) His votes on the articles will either anger Democrats or Trump supporters. As I understand it, WV sports betting does not permit betting on politics. Too bad. Depending on the odds, I’d probably wager that Manchin will play it down the middle -- vote for one and against the other.

And then there was Maine’s Republican senator, Susan Collins, pretending that Trump has learned something from his impeachment:

TONIGHT ON THE @CBSEveningNews: In an exclusive interview, Sen. Susan Collins says she believes the president “has learned from this case,” and that “he will be much more cautious in the future.” pic.twitter.com/tL3MizXO0o

— Norah O'Donnell🇺🇸 (@NorahODonnell) February 4, 2020

According to The Washington Post:

When he was asked about Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) saying he had learned a lesson during impeachment, the president said he’d done nothing wrong: “It was a perfect call.”

Update

Add Rob Portman (R - Ohio) to the naive and/or clueless list:

Sen. Rob Portman, who will vote to acquit but is one of the few Republicans to criticize Trump’s conduct, said when asked if he’s confident Trump won’t ask another foreign power to probe a political rival.

“I think the message has been delivered..

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) February 5, 2020

Manchin vote update

Joe Manchin will vote for both articles:

Voting whether or not to remove a sitting President has been a truly difficult decision, and after listening to the arguments presented by both sides, I have reached my conclusion reluctantly. My full statement: pic.twitter.com/yIgy6Qf5JZ

— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) February 5, 2020