Newsman: The House delivered its second time article of impeachment to the Senate on today against former President against Donald Trump kicking off preparations for the coming senate trial. Meanwhile , First time since the impeachment on Jan. 13 President Joe Biden said, the impeachment trial “has to happen.” The Republicans are however took pushing back strategy after Democrats took faster path of ‘article of impeachment’ against former President Donald Trump. It is clear now that the Senate trial is inevitable beginning on the week of Feb. 8 under a deal struck between the parties. Senate Republicans had requested more time to allow Trump’s lawyers to prepare. However, all one hundred senators, who will act as the trial’s jury, will be sworn in tomorrow, the Tuesday afternoon.
House impeachment managers held a ceremonial procession through National Statuary Hall and the Capitol Rotunda to the Senate on Monday evening and delivered article of the impeachment to the Senate. The impeachment managers were led by the lead impeachment manager, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland to present the article of impeachment to the secretary of the Senate. Jamie Raskin then read the article out loud to the chamber.
Presiden Biden told CNN on Monday that the impeachment trial “has to happen,” in his most extensive remarks on the matter since Trump was impeached earlier this month.
The presentation of the article will require the Senate to begin the process of holding a trial to determine whether to convict Trump and potentially bar him from ever running for any federal office again.
The Maryland lawmaker released a statement shortly after the article was delivered, vowing to “present overwhelming evidence of the facts of former President Trump’s incitement of the violent insurrection” on the Capitol.
Chief Justice John Roberts will not be presiding like he did for Trump’s first impeachment trial as two sources familiar with the matter shared the information to CNN. And Sen. Patrick Leahy, the president pro tempore of the Senate, is expected to preside. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the president pro tempore of the Democratic-controlled Senate said in a statement, “When I preside over the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, I will not waiver from my constitutional and sworn obligations to administer the trial with fairness, in accordance with the Constitution and the laws.”
The Constitution says the chief justice presides when the person facing trial is the current president of the United States, but senators preside in other cases, one source said.
Former President Trump is still working on filling out his legal team, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, said he spoke to Trump on Sunday while the former President was golfing in Florida. Asked about Trump’s mindset and preparations ahead of his second impeachment trial, Graham said, “Well, I think he’d like to get it over with.” Graham said he “wouldn’t think” Trump would come back from Florida for the proceedings, again emphasizing the desire for a quick trial , CNN reported.
Republicans increasingly believe there’s virtually no path to Trump’s conviction in the Senate, which would require 17 GOP members to join with Democrats for a two-thirds vote. They’ve argued both that the trial itself is unconstitutional because Trump is no longer President — legal scholars disagree, though there’s no precedent — and that pushing forward with impeachment now is divisive.
“I think it’s time to move on from this impeachment trial,” said Sen. Roger Marshall, the newly elected Republican from Kansas. “The impeachment trial is unconstitutional.”
But Democrats argue there has to be accountability for the former President after he incited the rioters who ransacked the Capitol on January 6 in an effort to stop Congress from enacting a peaceful transfer of power.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., named nine Democratic impeachment managers for the trial this month, with Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., leading the group. The eight other Democrats are Reps. Diana DeGette of Colorado, Joe Neguse of Colorado, David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Joaquin Castro of Texas, Eric Swalwell of California, Ted Lieu of California and Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania, along with Stacey Plaskett, the U.S. Virgin Islands’ nonvoting delegate to Congress.
The House impeached Trump on Jan. 13 for a second time, charging him with “incitement of insurrection” for his role in the deadly Capitol riot this month. The article also cites Trump’s Jan. 2 phone call urging Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to overturn the state’s election results as part of his effort “to subvert and obstruct the certification of the results of the 2020 presidential election.”
The Democratic-controlled House approved the article on a 232-197 vote; 10 Republicans sided against Trump. It was the most bipartisan vote on a presidential impeachment in history, doubling the five Democrats who voted to impeach Bill Clinton in 1998.
