Trial of impeached US President Donald Trump is expected to begin in mid-January if the consensus in the Senate will prevail. The Senate is set to return from its winter recess around that time. This has also been the request coming from Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate minority leader.
Many possibilities are hovering over political observers after the U.S House of Representatives impeached Trump on Wednesday.
If the president is impeached but not convicted, he can run again for office. If acquited, the impeachment vote has no legal bearing to stop Trump from running again.
There is, of course, a possibility that the impeachment can damage his image and therefore diminishes his chances for re-election. But then again the possibility is equally strong that the impeachment can earn him more sympathy from his supporters which means he still has the chance to be re-elected. If he wins again, the Senate, nevertheless, can prohibit him from holding office.
On Wednesday, Trump made history as he became the third American president to be formally charged with impeachment over abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. The votes on the first count were 230 for impeachment and 197 against. By the second count, it was 229 to 198.
Under the American constitution, impeachment is the ultimate recourse when a chief executive is accused of high crimes and misdemeanors. The other two presidents to face impeachment were Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998. Richard Nixon, meanwhile, resigned before he could be impeached in 1974.
The charges against Trump over abuse of power is when he allegedly enlisted a foreign government to investigate a political rival as he prepares for the 2020 election. Specifically, he allegedly pressured Ukraine to investigate former vice president Joe Biden and his family. Trump allegedly held millions of dollars in military aids and only promised released if the said investigation of Biden takes place.
As for the obstruction of Congress, Trump was accused of stopping officials from complying with congressional subpoenas. Indeed, administration officials refused to testify during impeachment proceedings.
In an op-ed written by Fox legal analyst Andrew Napolitano, he said that evidence against Trump is "undisputed." By inviting Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 presidential election and then intentionally stop his officials from giving evidence of his act.
Napolitano wrote that evidence concerning the delivery of the $391 million in military aid to Ukraine is also undisputed, most especially that Congress authorized and ordered it and then eventually signed by Trump.
