Trump's Senate trial begins February 8
Trump has considered replacing the acting attorney general to overturn the election result.
A.F.B.
Democratic leaders in the US Congress announced that Donald Trump's trial will begin in the second week of February, after the former president’s indictment was transferred to the Speaker of the House, early next week.
This two-week period between the submission of the indictment and the start of the debate will allow the trial not to have a monopoly on Senate sessions at the start of President Joe Biden's term.
In this way, the Senate could convene its sessions, to confirm the appointment of members of the government.
"Once the files are formulated, the parties' arguments will begin to be presented in the week beginning on February 8," said the leader of the Democrats in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, who will try Trump for "inciting the revolt".
Schumer had made it clear to his colleagues that the indictment "will be sent to the Senate on Monday."
"Our prosecutors are ready to defend their case before the 100 senators, who will serve as judges during the trial," House Speaker Nancy Pelos said in a statement afterwards.
In practice, these Democratic "prosecutors" elected in the House of Representatives, led by Jimmy Ruskin, will cross the corridors of Congress on Monday, to present the indictment in the Senate hall where they will recite it to its members.
This stage constitutes the formal opening of the trial, but discussions on the merits will not begin until two weeks later.
On the other hand, US media revealed, late Friday, that Trump had considered replacing then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen with a lawyer in the Department of Justice who could help him force Georgia officials to cancel the election result in the state.
The "New York Times" reported that Trump did not back down from the step, except after he was informed that all senior officials in the Justice Department would resign en masse, if he went ahead with the plan.
The reports described Trump's growing dismay at Rosen's refusal to interfere with the Justice Department in the election result.
• The indictment will be sent to the Senate tomorrow, Monday.
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