The US Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump is set to begin on Tuesday.
Lawyers for both sides submitted pre-trial briefs on Monday ahead of this week’s proceedings as Trump’s role in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol building remains the focus in the trial.
Although, several key details regarding the duration and structure of the trial are still unknown, according to reports.
It would be recalled that the House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump 232-197 on one impeachment article: “incitement of insurrection.” during his final days as US president for his role in the invasion of the Capitol on January 6, which led to five deaths and leaving several others injured.
Trump was accused of inciting the invaders who are suspected to be his followers as he addressed them immediately before the riot in Washington, DC, at a gathering to falsely denounce 2020 election fraud in an attempt to disrupt Congress from confirming President Joe Biden’s win.
Now led by lawyers David Schoen and Bruce L Castor, Trump’s team had submitted a 14-page document last week claiming his speech did not amount to a call to storm the Capitol and that his trial was unconstitutional anyway, because he has left office. Trump will not testify personally.
Trump’s first impeachment was presided over by chief justice of the supreme court, John Roberts, as permitted by the constitution. However, as this trial is of a former president, 80-year-old Patrick Leahy, the longest-serving Democratic senator – who holds the title of president pro tempore – will preside.
If he was found guilty, there’s no immediate punishment for Trump, since he is no longer in office. The Senate could, with a simple majority vote, bar him from holding federal elective office in the future.
However, Trump’s Twitter account was temporarily or permanently suspended among other social media accounts as a result of the incident.
