United States: Democrats begin impeachment trial for Donald Trump
Donald Trump (illustrative image).
This is the first time in the history of the United States that a president has faced this impeachment procedure twice.
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS AFP / File
Text by: RFI Follow
3 min
It is this Tuesday, January 26, in the morning, that the American senators take an oath to be jurors in the trial of Donald Trump.
This is the first time in the history of the United States that a president has faced this impeachment procedure twice.
The Democratic prosecutors of the House of Representatives transmitted, Monday evening, the indictment to the Senate, and thus gave the formal start of the trial.
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It is a very solemn ritual that has only occurred four times in American history: the elected representatives of the House, who will be the prosecutors during the trial, crossed the Capitol to the Senate.
They took the corridors which, less than three weeks ago, were
invaded by supporters of Donald Trump
, to get to the hemicycle of the Upper House.
This is where the indictment was read by Jamie Raskin, the representative who will chair the team of
nine Democratic prosecutors
, reports
Anne Corpet
, RFI's permanent special envoy to the United States.
Donald Trump is accused of inciting an insurgency.
His speech, given just before the Capitol invasion, is cited in the indictment, but also the phone call he made to the Georgia Secretary of State to ask him to
find votes in his favor.
.
And this while the result was already certified in this state where Joe Biden won during the presidential election in November.
Senators will be sworn in as jurors tomorrow.
They will also be witnesses since they were in the front row during the attack on the capitol ... pic.twitter.com/GHnH2bXMsl
- anne corpet (@annecorpet) January 26, 2021
The trial
itself will not begin until February 9.
This deadline was negotiated to allow Donald Trump to prepare his defense.
But it also suits the Democrats: several members of Joe Biden's cabinet have yet to be confirmed by the Senate.
The trial will take place under close surveillance.
Several elected officials have received death threats, and the FBI warns that protests by supporters of Donald Trump are still possible in the coming weeks.
Thousands of National Guard members will stay in Washington until mid-March.
► To read also: United States: the different faces of the extreme right
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