China News Service, February 10 (Dong Hanyang) Will former President Trump, who left the White House, end up being defined as a "sinner" in the United States?
It seems that starting from February 9th, local time, this question, which has made American society debated and torn apart, has outlined the answer step by step.
From this day on, the U.S. Senate began a formal trial of the impeachment case against Trump.
The president of a country was impeached twice within four years.
Compared with the first impeachment, the nature of this impeachment is completely different. Can Trump “get out” again?
Data map: Former US President Trump.
[Senate: Impeachment trial is constitutional]
The 9th was the first day that the Senate officially heard the Trump impeachment case.
On the same day, the Senate voted to pass the draft resolution on the impeachment trial process. Later, with 56 votes in favor and 44 votes against, it confirmed that the trial of Trump's impeachment case was in conformity with the Constitution. This move paved the way for the continued impeachment trial. Up the road.
Starting at noon on the 10th, the House of Representatives impeachment manager and Trump’s defense team will make statements. If the trial is not over on the 13th, the Senate plans to open a court session on the 14th to continue the trial of the impeachment case.
Some analysts pointed out that if both the prosecution and the defense agree not to call witnesses, the final vote on the outcome of the trial may be held on the 14th or 15th.
The fuse of this "impeachment war" was the fatal riot in the US Congress on January 6, which resulted in 5 deaths and dozens of injuries.
On January 13, the House of Representatives quickly passed the impeachment clause for "sedition" and officially impeached Trump.
9 Democrats including Jamie Ruskin and Diana Digett serve as impeachment managers of the House of Representatives.
In the 80-page briefing of the lawsuit submitted by the Democrats, they linked Trump’s attempt to overturn the election results with the riots in the Capitol, saying that he bears “unambiguous responsibility”.
The Democrats also emphasized that Trump's actions were "too bad" and that he should be permanently disqualified from re-elected public office.
At the same time, Trump's original team of defense lawyers "came out" one week before the trial.
According to news, many members have disagreements with Trump on defense strategies.
Trump's office subsequently announced that two new lawyers, David Skohn and Bruce Custer, will lead the team of lawyers during the trial.
According to Trump’s pre-trial briefing on the 8th, his team of lawyers argued that Trump’s speech was protected to some extent by the First Amendment to the Constitution, that is, the right to freedom of speech.
They also pointed out that the impeachment initiated by the Democrats is purely a "political drama."
As a former president, Trump faces an impeachment trial as "unconstitutional."
On January 6, local time, the joint meeting of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to confirm the results of the Electoral College vote was interrupted due to large-scale riots caused by supporters of the current President Trump breaking into the Capitol. The scene was extremely chaotic.
The picture shows Trump supporters gathered outside the rotunda of the US Capitol.
[How to start the second impeachment? 】
Trump is the first president in American history to be impeached twice.
How will the second impeachment trial by the Senate proceed?
-Is there any evidence?
The US media pointed out that Trump's speeches calling on his supporters to "fight hard" to change the outcome of the general election, and the Georgia Secretary of State to find "enough votes" to win the state's telephone recordings, etc., are all recorded as evidence. Enter the impeachment clause.
The impeachment manager of the House of Representatives also plans to use social media videos that impact Congress to show why they think Trump should be convicted.
——Who will host?
Since Trump is no longer the current president, the Chief Justice Roberts of the Federal Supreme Court will not preside over the trial. Instead, it will be presided over by Patrick Leahy, the Speaker of the Senate and Democrat.
However, many Republicans questioned that this would make the process look like a "partisan struggle" and lose its legitimacy.
——Will Trump attend?
Trump recently rejected the House’s impeachment manager's request to testify in court, calling it a "public relations stunt."
However, the impeachment manager did not indicate whether Trump will issue a subpoena to force him to attend if he refuses to attend voluntarily.
According to people familiar with the matter, Trump may submit a written letter to defend himself.
-How long does it last?
The leaders of the two parties in the Senate reached an agreement on the 8th on the timetable and form of the impeachment trial. If no witnesses are called, the trial may end in about a week.
Among them, it will include sessions such as court debates, questions and answers, and voting.
The picture shows the fire in front of the US Capitol in Washington, USA.
[Conviction is "almost impossible"]
According to the impeachment procedure, two-thirds of the senators in the final verdict must agree to the conviction before the impeachment can take effect.
But in the eyes of the US media, convicting Trump is an almost impossible task.
At present, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party each control 50 seats in the Senate. To achieve the conviction goal, at least 17 Republicans are required to "reverse".
However, the voice of Republicans against impeachment has been on the rise recently, and many people believe that the impeachment of a former president like Trump is "stupid and controversial."
Senator Lindsay Graham, Republican of South Carolina, stated that “impeachment against an outgoing president has never occurred in American history.” He called it unconstitutional and would “further aggravate the division of American society”; State Senator Rubio said, “Impeachment will have counterproductive effects. The country is already in dire straits, and doing so is like adding fuel to the fire.”
"At present, the possibility of a large-scale reversal of the Republican Party is very small, and there will only be sporadic bouncing." Li Zheng, an associate researcher at the American Institute of the China Institute of Modern International Relations, told Chinanews.com, "The impeachment case still has a strong party affiliation. The tendency is that Republicans will not fully comply with the demands of the Democrats, otherwise they will be very passive to the Republicans."
However, the attitude of McConnell, the leader of the Republican Party in the Senate, will be an important indicator.
According to analysis, once McConnell agrees to convict Trump, it may quickly open the "gate" for senators to vote for impeachment.
Zhu Feng, Dean of the Institute of International Relations at Nanjing University, analyzed, “It mainly depends on what evidence the People’s Party can produce, which will be the key to deciding whether to get more Republican votes.”
The picture shows US President Biden signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington.
["The political need to de-Trump"]
Earlier, when Democrats in the House of Representatives initiated impeachment, there was only one week left before Trump officially stepped down as President of the United States.
Since Trump is about to "step down", why does the Democratic Party still have to spend a lot of time and insist on impeachment?
The analysis believes that, on the one hand, Trump played a "disgraceful role" in the riots in the U.S. Congress, and it is necessary for Congress to hold him accountable; on the other hand, "impeachment can act as a deterrent to Trump to prevent him Before leaving office, make a more extraordinary move." Li Zheng said.
Li Zheng further analyzed that compared with the first impeachment of Trump by Congress at the end of 2019, this impeachment is more political.
"Impeachment can'disconnect' Trump and Republicans to a certain extent, and may deprive Trump of the chance to run for president again."
In fact, even if Trump has left the White House, once the Senate convicts him, he will still lose the privileges of retiring president, including security and pensions.
The Senate can also vote to ban him from holding public office again, frustrating his wish to run for president in 2024.
Zhu Feng believes that the second impeachment of Trump is largely for the political and legal needs of "de-Trumping."
"Even if he has left office, Trump is still the benchmark for extreme populism and white elitism in the Republican Party, and the Republican Party will continue to be kidnapped by him."
In the past four years, the Trump administration has insisted on "America first" and promoted unilateralism and protectionism. The international image has been greatly reduced. Under his rule, the domestic class and racial contradictions in the United States have also intensified.
"If Trump is not held accountable, he will still become a source of social and political divisions in the United States." Zhu Feng pointed out.
However, can the impeachment of Trump fundamentally resolve the problem of domestic division in the United States?
The BBC stated that the timing of the impeachment case is a bit embarrassing for the new Biden administration: When the Biden administration aggressively implements the Hundred Days New Deal, public opinion will still focus on the impeachment case of former President Trump. Instead, it restricts its governance space.
In addition, some Republican senators recently warned that supporting the conviction of Trump may also trigger a political backlash from its fanatical supporters, further deepening the tear in the United States.
Regardless of the outcome of the impeachment case and the fate of Trump, his four-year reign has already had a profound impact on the United States.
Regarding its merits and demerits, history will eventually give its own answers.
(Finish)