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In the United States, the trial of Donald Trump is scheduled to begin Tuesday, January 21. The head of the Democratic majority in the chamber, Nancy Pelosi, is organizing a vote this Wednesday on the transmission to the Upper House of the articles of the indictment.
With our correspondent in Washington, Anne Corpet
This vote is essential for the continuation of the procedure. For almost a month, Nancy Pelosi has been pushing back the deadline. The Chamber adopted the President's indictment on December 18. But instead of transmitting it directly to the Senate for the trial of Donald Trump to be heard, the majority leader in the House of Representatives played a form of obstruction by keeping the document under the elbow.
Its objective was to obtain guarantees on the organization of this trial, and in particular on the calling of witnesses . But she failed to convince the head of the Republican majority in the upper house, Mitch McConnell. He always wants the fastest possible procedure. And does not hear new witnesses.
In December, House Democrats pulled the plug on their investigation and impeached because they said it was urgent & they had already proven their case. But now they've delayed for weeks to insist that the Senate re-open their inquiry.
So - neither urgent nor persuasive?
However, several senators from the presidential camp could support the idea of hearing a few key people, such as the chief of staff of President Mick Mulvaney and the former security adviser, John Bolton. The latter announced that he was ready to testify before the Senate in the event of a summons.
The organization of the trial must be subject to a simple majority vote. It only takes four Republican senators to vote in favor of hearing witnesses for them to be summoned. However, the outcome of the trial is in no doubt. The dismissal of the president must be voted by two thirds of the senators to be effective. An acquittal of Donald Trump remains the almost certain outcome of the proceedings.