Biden does not believe the former president will be indicted

The "House of Representatives" hand over Trump's indictment to the "sheikhs" in preparation for his trial

The US House of Representatives handed over to the Senate an indictment of former President Donald Trump of inciting rebellion in a speech he gave to his supporters before a deadly attack on the Capitol, paving the way for his second questioning. CNN reported that US President Joe Biden, yesterday, expressed his belief that there will not be enough votes to condemn his predecessor, Donald Trump, in his trial in the Senate as part of his impeachment.

In detail, nine members of the House of Representatives who will represent the prosecution at Trump's trial, accompanied by the House clerk and the Acting Chief of the Guard, carried the indictment to the Senate in a solemn procession across the Capitol.

They advanced, wearing masks to prevent the Coronavirus, to the Senate hall, following a path a mob of Trump supporters took on January 6 as they clashed with the police.

Upon their arrival in the Senate, Representative Jimmy Raskin, Director of Accountability in the House of Representatives, read out the accusation, saying: "Donald John Trump was involved in major crimes and misdemeanors by inciting violence against the United States government."

Ten House Republicans joined Democrats in the vote to impeach Trump on January 13.

But Senate Democrats would have to garner the support of 17 Republicans to convict him in the bipartisan House, which is difficult given Trump's continued loyalty among the conservative Republican electorate.

"CNN" reported that President Joe Biden had expressed his belief that there would not be enough votes to condemn his predecessor, Trump, in his trial in the Senate in the context of his impeachment.

The network said that Biden was skeptical that 17 Republicans in the Senate would vote to convict Trump, the number needed for this step if all 50 Democrats vote for the conviction.

And CNN reported that it had conducted a brief interview with Biden.

More than 30 Democrats were present, while Ruskin was reading the indictment against just three Republicans - Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Mitt Romney and Roger Marshall.

Capitol police have spread along the path taken by lawmakers from the House of Representatives to the Senate, and security measures around the building are still tight.

Republican Trump is the only US president who will be held accountable by the House of Representatives twice, and he is expected to be the first to face trial after leaving office.

His term expired last Wednesday.

The Senate is expected to begin impeachment on Trump on February 9.

The 100 senators are slated to serve as jurors in the trial that could lead to Trump ineligible to run for the presidency again.

Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, the longest-serving senator, said yesterday he would preside over the trial.

A Senate source stated that although the US Constitution authorizes the chief justice of the Supreme Court to preside over accountability of presidents, a senator presides over it when the president is not in power.

Leahy, 80, was first elected to the Senate in 1974.

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts presided over Trump's first impeachment in the Senate when, in February 2020, Republicans who controlled the House at the time acquitted him of accusations of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress after his request from Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son.

Leahy will be able to vote at the trial, as senators can still vote on all matters if they chair the House.

A number of Republican lawmakers objected to the impeachment, and some argued that it would constitute a violation of the US Constitution, because Trump is no longer president.

"I still have concerns about the constitutionality of this, as well as about the precedent that (the trial) will set with regard to trying to convict an ordinary citizen," Senator Johnny Ernst told reporters.

"Could this be used against (former President Barack) Obama?"

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer rejected this argument.

He told the council, "The theory that the council cannot prosecute former officials will amount to a constitutional release card for any president."

The 100-member council is split evenly between Democrats and Republicans, but Democrats have the majority, due to the likely vote of US Vice President Kamala Harris.

Senate leaders agreed on Friday to delay the trial by two weeks to give Trump more time to prepare his defense, and to allow the House to focus on Biden's early priorities, including appointing members of his administration.

A

number of Republican lawmakers object to the impeachment, and consider it a violation of the US Constitution because Trump is no longer president.

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