In the United States Senate, an impeachment trial is set to begin Tuesday for former U.S. President Donald Trump. Last month, the House of Representatives voted to charge President Trump with incitement of insurrection. His accusers say his statements at a large rally on January 6 inspired some of the people there to later riot at the U.S. Capitol Building.
His supporters say the former president only called for a peaceful protest. It's now up to the Senate to decide whether to find the former leader guilty or not guilty. The chamber's 100 senators will serve as jurors for the trial. The constitution requires a vote of two-thirds or 67 senators to convict the president. Otherwise, the leader will be found not guilty. There are currently 50 Democrats and 50 Republican serving in the Senate, and political analysts say it is very unlikely that two-thirds of them will vote to convict the Republican former president.
There's also a debate going on about whether it's constitutional to hold an impeachment trial for someone who's no longer in office. Former President Trump's supporters called the trial political theater by Democrats since he's now out of office and a private citizen. But some legal experts say the House impeached him while he was still president and that the Senate has the power to prevent someone from running for office again as well as removing someone from power. So, all eyes will be on the Senate in the days ahead.
At this point, experts think this trial will be wrapped up within three weeks.
