Newsman: The Senate trial to impeach former President Donald Trump would begin on 9th February as both the Senate Majority Leader democrats Chuck Schumer and senate minority leader Republicans Mitch McConnell agreed on the deal. Senate Republicans had requested more time to allow Trump’s lawyers to prepare as impeachment managers, members of the House who act as trial lawyers, will be sworn in on Tuesday next week. The push back deal giving Trump’s legal team more time to be prepared, strategically the Senate Democrats will utilize the chance to confirm President Joe Biden’s Cabinet and consider Covid-19 legislation .
House Democrats will present the single article of impeachment against Trump to the Senate February trial as the second impeachment against Donald Trump. The House impeached Trump the week before he left office for allegedly inciting a deadly riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6 in an attempt to overturn the result of the 2020 election.
The Senate will now be required to determine whether he should be convicted of the charge, a decision that could prohibit him from running for public office again. A conviction requires a two-thirds majority, which means at least 17 Republicans would have to join all of the Democrats. If convicted, the Senate is also expected to vote on whether to bar Trump from holding office again.
In order to convict Trump, Democrats need a two-thirds majority, meaning at least 17 Republicans would have to vote to convict Trump, assuming that all 50 Democrats do. Ten House Republicans joined with Democrats to impeach.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will transmit to the Senate on Monday evening an article of impeachment against former President Donald Trump, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Friday.
“We have made good progress in our efforts to determine the timing and structure of the impeachment trial of Donald J Trump,” Schumer said Friday evening announcing the trial schedule, saying it would begin the week of February 8.
The trial would have started the afternoon after the article was transmitted to the Senate, if there was no consensus, but the agreement between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will push back the substance of the trial until February.
Under the agreement, the ceremonial functions of the trial will occur next week, with the articles being presented on Monday and senators being sworn in as jurors on Tuesday. Then the trial will pause, while the House impeachment managers and Trump’s legal team exchange pre-trial briefs for two weeks. The final briefs would be due on February 9, allowing the trial itself to begin.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Trump is owed a “full and fair process where the former president can mount a defense.”
McConnell suggested Thursday that a trial be delayed to mid-February to give time for preparations, which would also allow the Senate to approve more of President Joe Biden’s cabinet.
McConnell has said he’s undecided on whether to convict Trump. But the news was leaked that ‘McConnell privately says he wants Trump gone as Republicans quietly lobby him to convict.’
“Make no mistake: A trial will be held in the United States Senate, and there will be a vote whether to convict the president,” Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer said. “Senators will have to decide if they believe Donald John Trump incited the insurrection against the United States, he added.
