People Are Calling Out Republicans for Breaking Senate Trial Rules by Leaving '21 Empty Seats'

The Senate undertook one of the gravest American political processes on Tuesday when the impeachment trial against President Donald Trump began in earnest as House Managers and Trump's defense team debated to set the rules for the ensuing trial.

On Wednesday, the Democratic impeachment managers began their 24 allotted hours (set over the course of three days) to make their case against Trump. They've cited documents, videos, and Trump's own words to create a compelling case for the removal of the President—or at least for hearing the evidence he's repeatedly blocked from coming to light.

But are Republican Senators listening?

It's against the rules to bring outside cameras and other devices into the Senate during an impeachment trial.

It's also against the rules for Senators to leave their seats during the trial, but those appear to have gone out the window.

Thanks to eagle-eyes journalists in the chamber, and others watching at home, we are getting reports of many Republican Senators who've gone out of the chamber, including Republican heavy hitters like Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

As House managers continued to lay out the evidence of Trump's guilt, people were dismayed at the apathy of Republican senators.

They pointed out that this isn't how a trial is supposed to function—especially one with such stratospheric stakes.

Though the only stand Republican senators seem willing to take is standing up to leave the room, Americans are still on the edge of their seats, dreading the possible confirmation that the President is the only American above the law.