Explanation of the ulterior motive behind Donald Trump’s impeachment

It seems increasingly likely that Donald Trump will become the first US president in history to be indicted twice.

The House of Representatives will pass a motion on Tuesday (US time) following claims that Trump incited the deadly DC riots.

However, what seems far less likely is that Trump will be forced to leave office before his term ends next week.

“This will not happen, although (although) several Republican politicians are furious with the president,” said Dr. Carla Winston, professor of international relations at the University of Melbourne.

So what is the point? Well, while Trump may breathe a sigh of relief not to face the ignominy of being unceremoniously ousted from the White House prior to Joe Biden’s January 20 inauguration, his clemency may be short-lived.

His impeachment proceedings may very well continue long after he leaves office, posing the very real threat that he will be prevented from attempting another presidential race. And, in a further blow, millions of dollars in benefits enjoyed by former presidents could also be snatched.

WHY IS TRUMP DISAPPEARING?

Five people have now died as a direct result of the assault on the Capitol building last Thursday in Washington DC.

A rally that same day, which occurred after Trump invited his supporters to “walk to the Capitol,” is being cited by some as evidence of incitement and motive for him to leave office, on both sides of politics.

Republican Senator Pat Toomey joined the president’s calls for resignation.

“I recognize that it may not be likely, but I think it would be better,” he told NBC.

Yesterday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi confirmed that if Vice President Mike Pence did not use his powers under the 25th Amendment to fire his boss, which he has shown few signs of doing, then the process would begin. impeachment.

Pelosi said the president was an “imminent threat” to democracy and that a vote to impeach him could occur as soon as Tuesday (US time).

WHAT IS AGREEMENT?

Impeachment is one of the most enduring tools that American politicians have to remove one of their own officials or other top officials, such as a judge. It was used for the first time in 1797.

Those who are charged with “treason, bribery or other serious crimes and misdemeanors” can be charged.

But Suzanna Sherry, a law professor at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, said the definition of “felonies and misdemeanors” was vague.

“Nobody knows,” he told ABC News in the United States.

“The general thinking is that it means what the House and Senate think it means.”

All it takes for a president to be impeached is a simple majority in the House of Representatives.

That fate has fallen to three presidents: Andrew Johnson in 1868, Bill Clinton in 1998 and Trump last year for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Given that the Democrats have a majority in the representatives, the impeachment of Trump could happen very quickly.

WHY DIDN’T TRUMP GET THE BOOT LAST TIME?

You may have noticed that even though Trump was indicted once before, he remained in office. That’s because impeachment itself has no real effect other than being quite humiliating.

Once the representatives have impeached a president, the matter goes to the Senate, and that’s where the real action takes place. It is here that the defendant faces trial on the charges.

It is not a criminal trial. Trump will not go to jail. But if the president is convicted, he leaves.

However, the Senate is also where the process bogs down, said Dr Winston of Melbourne.

“It takes a two-thirds majority in the Senate to remove the president,” he said.

“This will not happen, even when several Republican politicians are furious with the president,” he said, pointing to Republican senators who continued to suggest that there was something dubious about Biden’s victory just hours after they were thrown out of their own chamber. . by angry pro-Trump protesters.

“It would also be difficult to get more than half of a group of people appointed by the president in part because of his loyalty to vote to remove him from power,” he said.

TRUMP’S ‘DEATH KNOCK’

Even if impeachment did go to the Senate, the process could be so slow that Trump will have left office before it is debated.

However, some in the Democratic Party have no problem with the fact that his approval could be delayed for some time after Biden’s inauguration.

Apparently, that’s so as not to overshadow the new president’s first months in office.

But there is another reason to impeach Trump even after he is gone. Impeachment can also lead to a lifetime ban on top public officials.

Alan Baron, a legal expert and veteran of four impeachment investigations involving judges, told the Aljazeera broadcaster that “it could be a fatal blow to Trump.”

“There has been talk of Trump’s role as the type of government in exile, when it comes to mobilizing Republicans when he’s out of office,” he said.

“If he is barred from holding federal office, he is a kind of toothless tiger.

A vote to disqualify a president from any future election only needs a simple majority, which Democrats will have in the Senate in a few weeks.

However, a two-thirds majority generally follows to impeach the president and it is questionable whether enough Republicans will back such a move to pass even when Democrats control the Senate.

Some legal experts have suggested that if Trump is already gone, the Senate could skip the conviction portion and go straight to a disqualification vote. That has yet to be proven.

YOU COULD LOSE MILLIONS

If Trump is effectively impeached in both houses, it could be very costly. You could lose most of the benefits granted to former presidents.

This would include an annual pension of US $ 219,000, personnel costs of US $ 96,000 and office rent that could reach US $ 500,000.

That’s at least $ 1 million a year in lost revenue for Trump. You can add to that free travel and medical care.

It may not be a big deal for a billionaire, but a million dollars plus a year is no small change.

The one thing Trump wouldn’t lose is his security protection.

In the end, even if impeachment is little more than a slap on the wrist, it will still be smart.

“Even if banning Trump from holding office in the future is not enough, then it has marked him as the only president in history to have been indicted twice,” Thomas Keck, professor of political science at Syracuse University, told Aljazeera. from New York.

“It has to be a matter of historical record to say that inciting a mob to attack Congress and try to prevent them from certifying the results of an election is unacceptable behavior.”