Trump Impeachment Trial to Begin in February

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the news Friday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to deliver the impeachment article to the Senate on Monday.

January 23, 2021

The second impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump will begin in a couple of weeks.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced the news on the Senate floor Friday, just days after Trump officially left office.

"... Both the House Managers and the defense will have a period of time to draft their legal briefs, just as they did in previous trials," Schumer said. "During that period, the Senate will continue to do other business for the American people, such as Cabinet nominations and the COVID-relief bill, which would provide relief for millions of Americans who are suffering during this pandemic. Then, once the briefs are drafted, presentations by the parties will commence the week of Feb. 8."

On Jan. 13, the House of Representatives impeached Trump on a single charge of inciting the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol riot, marking the first time a U.S. president had been impeached twice. The former POTUS was impeached in late 2019 for allegedly pressuring the Ukranian government to dig up dirt on his political rival Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. The then-Republican-controlled Senate ultimately acquitted Trump after two weeks of trial.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi recently announced she would deliver the impeachment article to the upper chamber Monday night. Trump and his legal team reportedly has until Feb. 2 to file their response to the charge. It's unclear how long the second trail is expected to last.

A conviction will require a two-thirds vote, which means all Democoratic senators and 17 GOP senators must vote "guilty." If the Senate does convict the former president, lawmakers will then conduct a vote that will bar him from holding a public office ever again.