Former President Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives for incitement of insurrection on January 6, 2021 with just a few days left in his presidential term. The impeachment passed through with support from a unanimous vote of Democratic representatives as well as 10 Republicans, making it the most bipartisan presidential impeachment ever.
But why impeach a president who’s already on his way out of office? Well, apart from holding him accountable for his words and sending a message to the former President and his supporters, an impeachment at this stage could have practical consequences. It could legally bar him from ever running for re-election. It’s not far-fetched to think perhaps Trump will be eyeing another re-election campaign. As Trump said his farewells to reporters before leaving the White House he was noted saying that “hopefully it’s not a long-term goodbye”.
For an impeachment to happen, Donald Trump would not only have to be convicted by a two-thirds majority by the Senate, but also a second trial post-conviction would have to be held and a two-thirds majority would be required to permanently disqualify him from future re-election.
With the Senate split at 50 democrats and 50 republicans, it will take 17 Republicans and a unanimous vote from Democrats to reach the two-thirds majority necessary for a conviction.
According to the Guardian, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi will send the article of impeachment to the Senate today at 7 pm EST. But the Senate has agreed to a two week grace period for former President Trump to build his defense. Which will allow President Joe Biden and the Senate to tend to duties of taking office such as installing the Biden cabinet.
Senators are taking into consideration that a long and slow trial could significantly bog down the legislative process. Therefore they will be prioritizing a speedy trial, though with the challenges presented with a new proposed COVID-19 relief bill and the acclimation of Biden’s first 100 days as President, the trial is likely to continue through the greater part of February.
