• U.S. Donald Trump is considering attending the 75th anniversary of Victory Day in Moscow
  • USA Trump says that the impeachment he will have to face is a "coup d'etat"

The Ukrainegate happens to be broadcast live. Starting tomorrow, part of the investigation of the alleged pressure by Donald Trump on the president of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelenski, for him to investigate the son of the main Democratic candidate in 2020, Joe Biden, will be broadcast on television.

In Washington, the bars will open earlier, so that people see the testimonies, as if it were a football match. But, outside the US capital, people will not pay much attention to this mess, so here is a small guide to explain it.

Who will go to testify?

Tomorrow, the top US diplomatic representative in Ukraine, William Taylor, author of the text message to the US ambassador to the EU, Gordon Sondland, in which he stated that "it is crazy to withdraw military aid to help a political campaign ", and also diplomat George Kent, who has accused Trump's personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, of interfering with American diplomacy in that country. Friday is the turn of former US ambassador to Ukraine, Marie Yovanovitch, who was dismissed for not giving in to Trump and Giuliani's pressures that Zelenski should investigate Hunter Biden, and has said she felt threatened by the team Trump, and has stated that Giuliani has put his economic interests before the US national security.

Why are audiences now public?

For two reasons. One: Democratic leaders believe they have enough evidence to bring the case to public opinion. The first people who are going to speak have already directly accused Rudy Giuliani, Sondland and Donald Trump in closed-door hearings under oath. It is expected that his testimony will not change. And two: thus, the Democrats give Republicans the opportunity to exercise Trump's defense in public. Until now, the followers of the president, and Trump himself, claimed that, being behind closed doors, the hearings did not give them a chance to defend themselves . They even went so far as to spread on social networks that there were no Republican congressmen in the audience, which is not true.

Why so far have not been?

Because the Democrats have not wanted . The opposition preferred that the testimonies be behind closed doors to control the leaks and gradually mount the case in favor of the impeachment of Donald Trump. By not having the pressure of the media, witnesses can speak more freely. For that reason , the first to testify are diplomats who have already done so , and whose words support the cause of the president's political trial. Presumably, they will reaffirm their statements, which should, at least in theory, make the impeachment option more popular among voters.

How are the public hearings going to be?

A .: Fundamentally, such as those held behind closed doors, that is, with Democrats and Republicans asking witnesses questions.

Are there precedents?

Yes. The possible impeachment of Donald Trump follows the pattern of the Watergate scandal, in which Congress conducted the investigation. In Bill Clinton's impeachment , however, it was an investigation conducted by a special prosecutor, Kenneth Starr, that set off the process. Clinton suffered an impeachment that succeeded. But the Senate refused to cease the president . Nixon, however, resigned before the impeachment was launched.

What is that impeachment ?

A .: Think of a trial at the National Court. First, the investigating judge conducts an investigation : that is what the House of Representatives committees are now calling on witnesses to testify. Then, the prosecutor decides if he sees evidence of crime : that is what the Judicial Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives should do when he submits his report to the plenary. Next, the judge imputes the defendant : that is the impeachment , which is nothing other than a vote in the plenary of the House. Finally, the case goes to trial: that is the political trial, which is carried out in the Senate, where it must be decided whether the president is dismissed. Now we are in the first phase. The novelty is that, following the judicial example, the investigating judge has allowed the presence of the press in some interrogations of witnesses .

What can we expect?

Great headlines This is all about politics. The objective of the Democrats is to convince public opinion that the impeachment must be launched. The Republicans, that this is a montage.

What will be the strategy of each match?

Similar to the audience for Russiagate . Democrats will try to strictly adhere to the scandal. Republicans will try to question the reliability of witnesses and, in particular, two people: the CIA official who denounced Trump's pressure on Zelenski, and Hunter Biden. In fact, last week Republicans requested that Hunter Biden be called to testify before the House of Representatives. But the Democrats dropped the idea.

That is, it is about politics, not Justice.

Exact. The impeachment is a political process. The only criteria that Democrats and Republicans will take into consideration is how this will affect their chances of being re-elected in 2020.

What will be the calculation of each match?

A considerable part of the Democrats come from constituencies that either Trump won or are undecided. Therefore, these congressmen will only vote for the impeachment if in these public hearings they manage to increase support for that process so that no congressman runs the risk of a 'yes' costing him the seat. Among Republicans, however, Trump is 83% popular, so it is expected that all representatives of that formation will vote "No."

What do voters think?

The polls reveal a slight majority in favor of the impeachment and dismissal of Donald Trump. According to the FiveThirtyEight statistics website, 48% of Americans support the process , while 44.4% reject it. Hence, the impact of these audiences on public opinion can decide what happens in the future.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • Donald Trump
  • Ukraine
  • Joe biden
  • U.S

United StatesA senior diplomat warned in August of Trump's abuse of power against Ukraine

United States Trump suffers an electoral setback in the Kentucky and Virginia elections

United States Republican Congressmen block the investigation against Trump for hours occupying the interrogation room