Donald Trump's impeachment trial began in the Senate on Thursday, January 16, with the solemn reading of the US President's indictment, the only one in the history of the United States. While he must be tried for abuse of power and obstructing the work of Congress, the billionaire is therefore likely to be acquitted in the Senate, where the elected members of his party have a majority of 53 seats.

Under the Impeachment procedure, the senators charged with trying him were sworn in. The trial is to be adjourned until Tuesday, when the substantive proceedings begin in earnest.

Seven elected Democrats from the House of Representatives Designated Prosecutors appeared at noon in the upper chamber. When they arrived, a protocol officer, the "sergeant-at-arms", called the audience to "remain silent, under penalty of being imprisoned".

In a serious, emotional tone, "chief prosecutor" Adam Schiff then read the indictment adopted by the House on December 18.

"Donald John Trump, president of the United States, has been charged with serious crimes and offenses," he said. He "acted in a manner contrary to the trust placed in a president and subversive for the conduct of the government".

According to the indictment, the president asked Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden, his potential rival in the presidential election in November, and lobbied for his success, notably by freezing crucial military aid for this country at war with Russia.

Once the blackmail was revealed, he obstructed the congressional investigation, by prohibiting his advisers from testifying or providing documents, further detailed Adam Schiff.

Trial should not last more than two weeks

Donald Trump assures from the start that he has "done nothing wrong" and presents himself as the victim of a "set-up", of a "witch hunt" orchestrated by the Democrats.

The republican elected officials have so far united around him. Their leader Mitch McConnell again criticized the House investigation on Thursday, "a visibly partisan performance from start to finish". But, he continued, "the hour of the Chamber is over, it is the turn of the Senate" and "this assembly exists so that we can (...) put aside our bestial reflexes".

In December, this faithful defender of the president had gone further, admitting to "coordinating" with the White House and not being an "impartial" juror in this matter.

Thursday afternoon, he will however, like all of his colleagues, solemnly promise to "dispense justice in an impartial manner". The 100 senators will be sworn in collectively before the head of the United States Supreme Court, John Roberts, who is entrusted with the task of presiding over the trial.

They will then sign, four by four, an "oath book" and the proceedings will be adjourned until Tuesday.
According to a senior administration official, the trial should not last more than two weeks.

During this period, senators must attend the hearings, without leaving the room and respecting the utmost silence. If they have questions for the parties, they must put them in writing to John Roberts, who will read them aloud.

Donald Trump "knew exactly what was going on"

Adam Schiff, one of Donald Trump's beasts, will lay the charge. Head of the House Intelligence Committee, the 59-year-old elected official supervised the dismissal investigation against the president, who renamed him "Schiff the deceiver".

His team includes six Democrat parliamentarians who reflect the diversity of the party's elected representatives. Nancy Pelosi explained having chosen them for their "legal experience" of ex-prosecutors, lawyer or even chief of police.
It would take a two-thirds majority in the upper house to remove the president, or the defection of 20 Republican senators, which seems impossible.

The Democrats nevertheless hope that the trial will bring out new embarrassing elements for Donald Trump, and demand the hearing of four close advisers to the president.

They unveiled unpublished documents Tuesday, overwhelming according to them, coming from telephone conversations of Lev Parnas, an American of Ukrainian origin associated with the personal lawyer of the president, Rudy Giuliani.
In the process, Lev Parnas assured in several media that Donald Trump "knew exactly what was going on" about the pressures exerted by Rudy Giuliani on Ukrainian officials.

Another blow for the president: an independent body of control of the government estimated Thursday that the White House had "broken the law" by suspending funds intended for Ukraine.

With AFP




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