Trump’s presidency has made some history. For example, he became the only president in American history who has been impeached twice.
His second impeachment trial is expected to be held on February 9 local time. According to U.S. media analysis, Trump is likely to “pass” again this time.
Although he left office, Trump has not disappeared from the public eye.
His former campaign manager also made a “tactice” to suggest that Trump should run for president again on the basis of two impeachments.
The American people don’t buy it. In response to the idea of Trump’s former campaign manager, some people commented that “I’m not an expert, but I think you’re crazy” and “not even seen in history books.”
When will the impeachment trial be held?
According to the New York Times, according to the original plan, the Trump impeachment trial will be held on February 9th local time, and the Senate has not made a decision to hold a session beyond that date.
However, people familiar with the matter pointed out that the trial proceedings are likely to last until February 12 or 13, which has led to a “deviated” from the current plan.
On February 6th local time, David Skohn, Trump’s chief defense lawyer, wrote to Senate Majority Leader Schumer, saying that he was a Jew and must attend the Jewish Sabbath.
If the impeachment trial lasted for a long time, he might not be able to appear in court after the evening of February 12. .
Skohn wrote, “There is no doubt that this request will cause inconvenience to other relevant personnel, and I’m sorry.
However, religious ceremonies must be observed to me.
If the hearing cannot be concluded at 17:24 on February 12, it shall be suspended until it reopens on February 14.
The seventh day of each week in the Jewish calendar is called Sabbath, which is also one of the main festivals in Judaism.
According to the teaching, the Sabbath is holy, and Jews are not allowed to work.
Schumer later said through a spokesperson, “We respect this claim and the impeachment trial may be adjusted accordingly.” According to the New York Times, if Schumer decides to open the “fast track” and finish the trial before sunset on February 12, it will become the fastest impeachment trial in American history.
However, if the trial proceedings are postponed as required by Scohn, it is possible to reopen as early as February 14.
However, because February 15 is a federal holiday, the Senate has to take a five-day holiday, which means that the impeachment trial process will last longer.
The New York Times pointed out that at present, both Republicans and Democrats hope to end impeachment proceedings as soon as possible.
Democrats fear that if the Senate fails to pass the impeachment trial process quickly, it may interfere with Biden’s plan, especially the pandemic stimulus bill and the cabinet nomination process.
How will the impeachment trial be held?
Under the U.S. Constitution, the House of Representatives is the only body with impeachment power.
The Senate has the power to convict the impeachment charges initiated by the House of Representatives.
The impeached person can be the President of the United States, the Vice President or all civilian officials. If more than two-thirds (or 67) of senators support the charge of impeachment, the impeached person will be convicted.
In the impeachment process, the House of Representatives needs to appoint an impeachment manager to testify in the Senate together with the impeached defense lawyer, according to the Associated Press.
The impeachment manager and the lawyer team will have some time to debate, and the senator can ask questions in writing before the final vote is held.
Each senator will then stand up and vote to judge whether the impeached person is guilty.
Normally, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States will preside over the impeachment trial proceedings, but since Trump has stepped down as President of the United States, the presiding officer will be President Pro Tempore of the Senate, Patrick Leahy.
On February 4th local time, Trump adviser Jason Miller said that Trump would not testify in an “unconstitutional trial”.
But analysts point out that even if Trump refuses to appear in court, the Senate can summon Trump or other witnesses by a simple majority vote in the trial.
Legally, Trump can refuse the subpoena of the Senate, and if he insists not attending, he may be regarded as “contempt of Congress”.
How long is the impeachment trial expected to last?
It is not clear how long the impeachment trial proceedings will last, according to the Associated Press.
The Senate is communicating on the rules of the impeachment trial, and specific arrangements will be made later.
Trump’s first impeachment trial lasted nearly three weeks.
He was accused of abusing his power and putting pressure on Ukraine to investigate Biden, the then presidential candidate.
However, the Senate finally acquitted Trump.
The Associated Press pointed out that since the second impeachment trial case is not complicated and senators have learned many details through their personal experience at the Capitol on January 6, the impeachment trial process is not expected to last for a long time.
It is worth noting that the personal experience of senators may provide more evidence to facilitate the trial proceedings.
How will the Trump lawyer team defend?
According to the Associated Press, how to defend Trump’s lawyer team without angering the senators is a difficult problem, and Trump’s lawyers are expected to try to reduce people’s mood and rationally pay attention to the basis for conviction.
Trump’s defense lawyer said in his first trial documents, “Since Trump has left the White House, we have reason to believe that impeaching Trump against this background is unconstitutional.” Trump defense lawyer Castor also pointed out that “we will raise a series of procedural objections to try to win the lawsuit.”
Trump’s lawyer team said that Trump did not incite supporters to launch violence, and they also believed that Trump had done nothing wrong.
Protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, Trump has the right to “express that he believes that the election results are doubtful”.
However, some other constitutional experts said that if the president made improper behavior towards the end of his term, it was constitutional to impeach the outgoing president.
At the same time, experts also believe that if the Senate finally finds Trump guilty, the senator will also hold a second vote on whether Trump can hold public office in the future, which may affect the future political direction of the United States.
Will Trump be convicted?
According to the Associated Press, despite Republicans who severely criticized Trump’s “fight like hell” remarks after the Capitol riots, the Republicans calmed down a few days later.
Therefore, it is not expected that there will be enough senators to support the conviction of Trump, which also means that Trump still has greater influence within the Republican Party.
However, the Associated Press pointed out that the acquittal of the Senate does not mean that Trump will not be held accountable.
At present, Senators Tim Kane and Susan Collins have raised the possibility of condemning Trump after the impeachment trial. In an interview with the media, Kane said, “This idea has been put on the table and is likely to become a reality.”
The Virginia senator said, “In my opinion, the condemnation resolution is more like an alternative, because it does not need to get more than two-thirds of the senators’ votes, and it may have similar consequences of being convicted by the Senate.”
With Trump being impeached for the second time, his former campaign manager Pascale began calling for Trump to run for the United States again, according to political news website politico.
On February 6th local time, Pascal, Trump’s former campaign manager, tweeted, “If they impeached you twice, you need to run again, because if you want to change the system, you must do so.
If it were me, I would be happy to be the only president who was impeached three times. History usually remembers the different things.”
Pascale also said, “If Trump asks me how he will win again, I will let him plan the election again on the basis of two impeachments.”
Regarding Pascal’s above remarks, some netizens said, “I don’t think even history can see such a plot.” Some netizens pointed out, “Although I’m not an expert, this idea makes me think you’re crazy.”
