The start of Trump’s second trial in the Senate

Washington: On Tuesday, the United States Senate began the second trial against former President Donald Trump on charges of “inciting” his followers to attack the Capitol building on January 6.

The historic trial of the former Republican president began with a minute of silence, followed by the beginning of the vote on a resolution detailing the framework for the discussions.

The House of Representatives brought charges against Trump last month for his role in the assault on the United States Capitol building on January 6 by a crowd of his supporters. In the first such trial against a former president, all 100 members of the Senate will serve as a jury.

On Monday, Trump’s legal team condemned the trial, saying it violated the constitution and that it was “absurd” to hold the former president responsible for the violence.

However, the Democratic lawmakers charged with prosecuting Trump’s trial considered that the former president had committed “the most serious violation of the constitution” in the 232-year history of the presidency, by inciting his supporters to storm Congress.

The trial is taking place as most parts of the Capitol remain closed and under tight security a month after the riots.

Amid continuing fears of attacks by extremists, 6,000 members of the National Guard remain deployed in Washington, raising the image of a still tense capital.

The arguments begin on Wednesday, during which each party receives 16 hours spread over two days.

Then the senators would ask both sides questions, and if any party wanted to subpoena witnesses, the matter would be put to the vote with the need to obtain a majority of votes. Note that Trump rejected a request sent by Democratic prosecutors to hear his testimony under oath.

Trump has been hurt politically, in part, by his adherence to allegations of voter fraud. But he still has weight in the Republican Party.

Having been charged with “incitement to revolt,” he is likely to avoid conviction because of his loyalty in the Senate, but his lawyers stated in their documents, which were delivered on the eve of the trial, that the constitution does not grant the House of Representatives the power to judge a former president.

Attorneys David Schon, Bruce Castor and Michael T. van der Vein wrote that “the Senate must quickly reject this shameless political act” because “it is clear that this is not what the framers wanted or what the constitution allows.”

They added that “responding to the thirst of the Democrats in the House of Representatives for this political game is a threat to democracy and the rights we hold dear.”

The lawyers used a brusque tone in the 78-page argument, saying it was “absurd” to say that Trump incited a crowd to commit a violent crime, and considered that those who attacked the Capitol did so of their own free will.

On Monday, President Joe Biden, who succeeded Trump on January 20, declined to address the question of whether Trump should be indicted or barred from holding public office in the future.

Later, White House spokeswoman Jane Sackey told reporters that Biden was running against Trump in 2020 “because he felt he (Trump) was incompetent.” But he added that the president “will let the Senate consider the course of this trial.”

In the event that Trump is prosecuted for the charge against him (the 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.

Democratic lawmakers who are in charge of prosecuting Trump’s trial say their “efforts to evade his responsibility are futile,” referring to the request made by his lawyers, noting that the “evidence” against him is “irrefutable.”

Chief Prosecutor Jimmy Ruskin said, “His conviction for inciting a revolt against the United States government, which prevented the peaceful transfer of power, is the most serious constitutional crime committed by a president.”

The trial is taking place in the same room the rioters stormed, threatening the lives of lawmakers backing Biden’s victory.

The prosecution team previously said that Trump, who addressed his supporters in Washington shortly before the attack, was “individually responsible” for the riots that killed five people.

They said the acquittal of Trump, who escaped conviction in his first impeachment in 2020, could do great harm to American democracy.

But his conviction requires the votes of more than two-thirds of the Senate, which means that 17 Republicans split and joined 50 Democrats, which is almost impossible.

Although Trump still has a solid foundation, public support for his conviction is now stronger than at his first trial, according to a new poll by Ipsos and ABC News.