U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced today that former President Donald Trump's trial regarding his second impeachment in the Senate will be fair.
In a press conference in New York, Democratic Senator Schumer stated, "The trial will be fair but will proceed at a relatively quick pace." He added that it should not take too long, as "we have much to do besides this."
Schumer mentioned that the impeachment managers in the House of Representatives, who act as prosecutors in the Senate trial, and Trump's defense team will have time to prepare between the time the impeachment article accusing Trump of inciting insurrection is issued on Monday and the start of the trial.
In addition to his second impeachment in Congress, the former president faces the possibility of several Democratic members of the Senate seeking to bar him from holding future office.
According to the American newspaper "The Hill," a number of Senate Democrats have discussed preventing Trump from running in the upcoming 2024 presidential election by invoking the 14th Amendment of the Constitution, which prohibits any official or legislator from running for office if they "engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or gave aid and comfort to its enemies." The newspaper added that discussions are still in their early stages, although some senior Senate members remain unconvinced that this approach is feasible.
It is noteworthy that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on Friday evening that the trial of the former president in the Senate will take place in the week starting February 8, after the House formally submits the impeachment charges to the Senate on the upcoming Monday.
Considering the current Senate composition of 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans, a two-thirds majority required to convict Trump would necessitate at least 17 Republicans voting against the former president. If this occurs, there will be a subsequent vote on whether to bar Trump from holding public office in the future.
The U.S. House of Representatives voted in favor of the resolution accusing President Donald Trump of "inciting" his supporters in the riots at the Capitol, with ten Republican representatives joining Democrats in the vote, resulting in 232 votes for and 197 against, making Trump the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice or accused by Congress of committing crimes.
