What Happens Now That President Trump Has Been Impeached?
On Wednesday, in a vote which is very much split along party lines, the House of Representatives of the US Congress announced Donald Trump President’s impeachment, making him the third president in US history, which has ever been declared impeachment. In a vote, the House of Representatives passed both articles of impeachment put forward yesterday, including abuse of power ( defined as using one’s presidential powers to one’s advantage) and obstruction of Congress (its alleged actions to obstruct an investigation into its actions with Ukraine). …
“Last night I was subjected to impeachment, and not one Republican voted for the demes Do Nothing Dems for their continued great witch hunt in American history,” – wrote the president today Trump on Twitter . Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also defended Trump during his speech in the Senate Hall this morning, calling his impeachment the result of a “negligent process” by House Democrats and Nancy Pelosi that “let the country down.”
Want to know what’s next? Well, before we proceed (or hopelessly), impeachment does not mean actual removal from office; it is simply a process of bringing charges against an official. To date, no US president has been removed from office by impeachment, and it is unlikely that Trump will do so, given the Republican majority in the Senate.
However, a lot will happen in the coming months, so let’s briefly recap. Now that Trump has been impeached by the House of Representatives, the process falls almost entirely to the Senate, which is likely to hold a trial this January. (McConnell has yet to set a date, but it is expected to be set for later this week, sources told CNN .)
The constitution does not provide a specific framework for a Senate trial, which means that almost everything that happens from now on is speculative (although we do have a Senate trial of former President Bill Clinton at the time of his impeachment as a precedent of sorts).
Here’s what we know for sure: According to the Constitution, the Senate will serve as juries, several members of the House of Representatives will act as “managers” (in fact, prosecutors, whom Pelosi has not yet named publicly. They will probably be from the judiciary of the House of Representatives. Committee , however), and there should be a two-thirds majority on whether the president should be removed from office. If the Senate decides in favor of his removal from office, the Senate can also vote on whether Trump can run for any office ever again.
Here’s a big part of the uncertainty: First, the majority of the Senate will have to agree on the rules of the trial before getting down to business, which will probably not be in favor of the Democrats. For example, one important decision that needs to be made is whether witnesses will be called during this trial. (According to the Washington Post , McConnell wants to keep witnesses out and to shorten the trial by scheduling a vote after opening statements; in the meantime, Senate minority leader Charles E. Schumer is likely to want to reach out to officials close to Trump, which could it may or may not happen.)
What will be required for Trump to be removed from office? Well, there are currently 45 Democrats and 53 Republicans in the Senate (and two independent MPs, both of whom are members of the Democratic faction). It would take at least 20 Republicans to vote for Trump to resign, which, again, is highly unlikely.
However, it will be a hell of a test, given that there will be both current and former 2020 presidential candidates who have been critical of Trump during their campaigns, including Colorado Senator Michael Bennett, New Jersey Senator Corey. Booker, California. Senator Kamala Harris, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.