It is no longer news that the former US president, Mr Donald Trump, has gone down in history as the first president to be impeached twice.
The first time was in 2019 for abuse of power by pressuring the Ukrainian government to manufacture political dirt on Mr Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. To this, he was acquitted by the Senate in 2020. And the second time in January 13, for inciting an insurrection with his post election rally speech.
From the look of things, his being acquitted by the Senate the first time may have been possible due to the fact that the Senate leader then was a Republican. Now with the change of power to the Democrats, his fate in this trial still remains unknown. Even the Republican camp seem to have been divided in two with some supporting the impeachment process and others seeing it as another ploy by the Democrats.
But what’s known for a fact is that the House of Representatives leader, Nancy Pelosi, had on Monday 25, transmitted the article of impeachment of Mr Trump to the Senate through the impeachment managers. This move in itself has kicked started the trial which is set to begin on February 8.
It is also rumoured that Chief Justice John Roberts will not be presiding like he did on Trump’s first impeachment. Rather Sen. Patrick Leahy, the president pro tempore of the Senate, will preside. This is in accordance with the constitution which allows the Chief Justice to preside only when a sitting president stands trial else permits a Senator to preside for other cases. Tough luck for Trump this time.
Trump is now tasked with filling his legal team, with one lawyer already turning down the offer to be on the team. And regarding Mr Trump’s preparedness, Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina republican, said he thinks Mr Trump will like to be done with the trial.
Now that’s a wishful thinking for the former president because the question of how long the trial will last is one that even the Senate cannot answer.
We’re keeping our fingers crossed!
