The pleadings begin today

Trump calls for his trial to be canceled ... and Democrats accuse him of "committing the most serious violation of the constitution."

• Tight security measures in the Capitol building, where Trump's trial is located.

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• Trump refused to testify under oath.

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Lawyers for former US President Donald Trump asked the Senate to immediately abandon his trial, considering that the trial was a “violation of the constitution and a political show that constitutes a threat to democracy,” while Democratic prosecutors considered that Trump “committed the most serious violation of the constitution” Today.

"The indictment adopted by the House of Representatives is unconstitutional in many aspects, and each of these aspects alone is sufficient for it to be immediately repealed and misplaced," the two attorneys, David Shawn and Bruce Castor, wrote in a 78-page argument delivered to the Senate.

The leaders of the two parties in the Senate announced that they had reached an agreement with the legal teams on the rules of the trial, while the proceedings would begin today, with each side receiving 16 hours distributed over two days.

According to the agreement, the trial will continue until the evening of tomorrow, and then resume on the afternoon of next Sunday.

The trial will be suspended on Saturday, due to the Jewish Sabbath holiday, because one of Trump's lawyers is Jewish.

The agreement also states that if any party wants to summon witnesses, this matter must be subject to a vote, bearing in mind that Trump rejected a request sent to him by Democratic prosecutors to hear his testimony under oath.

On January 13, the US House of Representatives charged Trump with "incitement to rebellion", making the Republican billionaire the only US president twice charged with a trial in the Senate, in measures that could lead to his removal.

Senators will experience an unprecedented experience when they meet to decide whether to remove a president who is no longer in office and who remains a center of gravity in his party, even without the power that was bestowed upon him by the White House.

And Democratic lawmakers, who are in charge of prosecuting Trump's trial, considered that the former president had committed “a violation of the constitution, which is the most serious violation committed by an American president,” by “inciting” his supporters to attack the “Capitol”.

Prosecutors asserted, in a written argument delivered to the Senate, on the eve of the start of the trial, that "Trump's efforts to evade his responsibility are futile," referring to the request submitted by his lawyers, stressing that the evidence against him is "compelling."

The new US President, Joe Biden, who succeeded Trump, entered the line of debate surrounding the trial, but refused to address the question of whether Trump should be indicted or barred from holding any public office in the future, and Biden said: “We will let the Senate solve this issue. ».

Later, the White House spokeswoman, Jane Sackey, told reporters that "Biden is running against Trump in 2020 because he felt that he (Trump) was not fit for the position." She added that "Biden will leave the matter to the Senate to see this trial progress." And the leader of the Democratic majority confirmed The Senate, Senator Chuck Schumer, said that in the event that Trump is indicted for the charge against him (conviction requires a two-thirds majority), the Senate will subsequently hold a simple majority vote to prevent him from holding any public office in the future.

In addition, an official in the office of the US State Secretary of Georgia said that the office has opened an official investigation into Trump's efforts to change the election results in the state, in a step that may lead to a criminal investigation by the state and local authorities.

State Secretary Brad Ravensberger faced calls to open an investigation after recording a phone call to Trump, on January 2, during which he pressed him to change the state election results, based on false allegations about voter fraud.

"The state secretary's office is investigating the complaints it receives," said State Secretary's office spokesman Walter Jones, and the investigation came as a result of a complaint filed by George Washington University law professor John Banzaff.

Prosecutors: Trump's efforts to evade responsibility are futile, and the evidence against him is overwhelming.

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