Trump’s Impeachment Trial

Trump is the first president to be impeached twice. After the attack on the Capitol on January 6th, the House concluded that the President was responsible for inciting the violence. Many of his supporters have turned on him, and even Mitch McConnell pushed for the trial to commence in late January. 

On January 6th, Trump supporters raided the Capitol in an attempt to prevent Congress from counting the electoral votes. Democrats, and even some Republicans, accused Trump of attempting insurrection. On January 13th, he was officially impeached by the House. 

Former President Trump was represented by a private team of lawyers after losing access to White House attorneys. Trump struggled with his initial team and fell through. He was represented by Bruce Castor and David Schoen during his hearings. Both of these men have defended controversial clients. Schoen told Washington Post’s Katie Shepard that his team would not be justifying his actions, but defending the argument that Trump’s impeachment is unconstitutional.

There was debate during the hearings over whether or not convicting Trump after his term ended was constitutional. There is nothing in the Constitution that states whether something about impeachment after a term ends, so it was all up to the Supreme Court to interpret. Despite impeachment, Trump still had access to post-presidential benefits. This was a possibility even if he was convicted.

Trump’s legal team was given time to prepare their defense, and the Senate was given four hours to question both sides. Majority leader Charles E. Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed a preference for a speedy trial. A majority vote was needed to put Trump on the path of conviction, but a 2/3rd majority in the Senate was not achieved.

 He was not impeached in both the House and the Senate. Therefore, Trump cannot be barred from running for reelection. At the Conservative Political Alliance Convention in Orlando, Florida, Donald Trump alluded to the potential that he intends on making a comeback in 2024. 

Nothing like this has ever occurred in the history of the US. Trump is going down in U.S. History as the first President to be impeached twice.