Tillis announces opposition to Trump impeachment trial

U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis said on Tuesday that impeaching a former president, who is now a private citizen, would set a "dangerous precedent."

In a statement, Tillis said that, "On Jan. 6, I said voting to reject the states’ electors was a dangerous precedent we should not set. Likewise, impeaching a former president who is now a private citizen would be equally unwise."

Former President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial is slated to start on Feb. 9. On Tuesday, all but five Republicans voted in favor of an effort to dismiss the trial.

"The impeachment power can be turned into a political weapon, especially if it is primarily used to disqualify an individual citizen from running for public office. My Democratic colleagues would have rightfully objected to Republicans – when they controlled Congress – using the impeachment power to disqualify former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from running for president in 2016 because of her email controversy," Tillis said.

The U.S. House impeached Trump on Jan. 13, a week after the fatal riot at the U.S. Capitol while the Electoral College votes were being certified.

"The great hallmark of our Democratic Republic is self-government, and I have faith in the American people to assess the qualifications of presidential candidates and make an informed decision themselves, just as they have done every four years since George Washington was elected as our first president. Congress should not dictate to the American people who they can and cannot vote for," said Tillis.