President Trump has made history by becoming the first US president to be impeached twice during his term in office. The impeachment efforts led by Democrats accused the incumbent of inciting a violent mob that attacked the US Capitol on January 6, which resulted in five fatalities, including a Capitol police officer.
Now, the President awaits a Senate trial that will be held after he leaves the White House on January 20. If the Senate leaders convict the incumbent, the lawmakers in the upper chamber of Congress could vote to bar Trump from ever holding the public office again. The development comes after the Democrats-led House of Representatives formally impeached Trump’s incitement of violence for the US Capitol attack by his supporters.
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- Panel approves Trump impeachment charges and propels for a House Vote
Soon after the historic vote, Trump called on his supporters to remain peaceful. But interestingly, he did not mention his impeachment. Besides, the outgoing president has categorically denied any responsibility for the Washington riots. On the other hand, the federal law enforcement agencies have warned the local authorities of possible violent demonstrations across the US in the days ahead of Biden’s inauguration.
To determine Trump’s guilt, the Senate will hold a trial. But it is unlikely to start during his last week in the presidential office. Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate majority leader, stated that given the procedures, rules, and precedents of the Senate in the trials involving a president, there is no chance that a fair trial could conclude.
Additionally, the upper chamber of the US Congress would need a two-thirds majority to convict the incumbent, meaning that as many as seventeen Republicans would have to break party ranks. The New York Times reported that a total of twenty Republican lawmakers are willing to convict Trump. And Reportedly, McConnell told his party colleagues that he is yet to decide on how he would vote.
If found guilty, the Senators could also vote to bar the incumbent from running for the presidential office again, a move that he has indicated he plans for when Biden’s term ends in 2024. Previously, in 2019, Trump was impeached over the allegations of pressuring the Ukrainian government for opening an investigation into the President-elect and his son, Hunter Biden.
