By Nicholette Marbley
The Trump Impeachment has been a whirlwind of a combination of mystery and overwhelming anxiousness. When the Democrats took over the House, the Democratic Party decided to bring articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. Both parties have been exchanging bitter words back and forth, but as we can see, crunch time is finally here. On January 18th, President Trump spoke his first formal words on his rial. He called the impeachment “Constitutionally invalid” and “… A brazen and unlawful attempt to overturn the results of the 2016 election and interfere with the 2020 election.” -BBC
Here are the main things you need to know before the trial. Then we’ll get into the nitty-gritty good stuff.
What’s impeachment? Â
Impeachment in the United States is the process by which legislature (usually in the form of the lower House) brings charges against a civil officer of government for crimes alleged to have been committed, analogous to the bringing of an indictment by a grand jury.
-Wikipedia
The House found reasons to bring impeachment against the President. These are the leading figures you’ll be seeing throughout the trial process.
Senate Majority Mitch McConnell and Minority leader Chuck Schumer will play significant roles in the pre-trial. They will both set the rules of the trial, but McConnell with have more of a say so.
The Judge will be Chief Justice John Roberts. The Youngest Judge In 200 years. Justice John Roberts has worked on the Conservative and Liberal part of the spectrum being an ally to both Republican she Democratic causes/figures making this trial all the more exciting to watch because of a higher possibility of a fair and timely outcome.
The prosecutors are Adam Schiff and Jerry Nadler. Both Democrats. Both Congressmen. Adam Schiff is the leader of the House impeachment managers.
The two lawyers leading the defense are Pat Cipollone and Jay Sekulow. Donald Trump has known both for years.
The Jury consists of Senators. President Trump’s presidency will end if the jury votes equate to â…” or greater. The Republicans control the Senate, but with a non-biased judge and new evidence, anything can happen.
The Democrats are charging him with abuse of office power for the following: withholding 400 million dollars in Security Aid, having the press banned from the White House during a meeting with Ukraine, and pressuring Kiev to illegally look into his political adversaries using illegal and undercover tactics. And lastly, obstructing a congressional investigation by blocking an insane amount of subpoenas from being delivered to the doorsteps of Trump administration agencies and officials.
These two statements came directly from the house managers.
“The outcome of these proceedings will determine whether generations to come will enjoy a safe and secure democracy in which the President is not a king, and in which no one, particularly the President, is above the law.”
“The case against the President of the United States is simple, the facts are indisputable, and the evidence is overwhelming: President Trump abused the power of his office to solicit foreign interference in our elections for his political gain, thereby jeopardizing our national security, the integrity of our elections, and our democracy.”
-CNN
Here is a brief excerpt of the 112-page document written by the House Managers on why President Donald Trump should lose his position from office
Washington, DC – “This afternoon, the House Managers, on behalf of the U.S. House of Representatives, filed with the Secretary of the Senate a Trial Memorandum and Statement of Material Facts in the impeachment trial of the President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. The Managers’ brief sets forth the compelling case against the President that the Managers will present to the U.S. Senate during the impeachment trial.
The Managers’ brief establishes that the President is guilty of Abuse of Power and Obstruction of Congress as charged in the two Articles of Impeachment. As outlined in summary, the evidence overwhelmingly proves that President Trump corruptly exercised his official power to pressure Ukraine into interfering in the 2020 election to help him win reelection. The President’s abuse of power and violation of the law threatened U.S. national security and jeopardized the integrity of our free and fair elections. Through his obstruction of the House’s impeachment inquiry, President Trump attempted to place himself above the law and undermined the fundamental Constitutional principles on which our Nation was founded. The President’s gross abuse of power and obstruction of Congress reflect a pattern of misconduct and an ongoing threat to the Nation. As the Managers assert in brief, “President Trump’s conduct is the Framers’ worst nightmare.” The Senate should do its constitutional duty to address the ongoing threat that the President poses to the Nation by convicting and removing him from office.”
After the brief was filed, House Managers Adam Schiff, Jerrold Nadler, Zoe Lofgren, Hakeem Jeffries, Val Demings, Jason Crow, and Sylvia Garcia issued the following joint statement:
“The case against the President of the United States is simple, the facts are indisputable, and the evidence is overwhelming: President Trump abused the power of his office to solicit foreign interference in our elections for his political gain, thereby jeopardizing our national security, the integrity of our elections, and our democracy. And when the President got caught, he tried to cover it up by obstructing the House’s investigation into his misconduct. Senators must accept and fulfill the responsibility placed on them by the Framers of our Constitution and the Oaths they have just taken to do impartial justice. They must conduct a fair trial — fair to the President and fair to the American people.”
In brief, the Managers wrote:
President Donald J. Trump used his official powers to pressure a foreign government to interfere in a United States election for his political gain and then attempted to cover up his scheme by obstructing Congress’s investigation into his misconduct. The Constitution provides a remedy when the President commits such serious abuses of his office: impeachment and removal. The Senate must use that remedy now to safeguard the 2020 U.S. election, protect our constitutional form of government, and eliminate the threat that the President poses to America’s national security.
The House adopted two Articles of Impeachment against President Trump: the first for abuse of power, and the second for obstruction of Congress. The evidence overwhelmingly establishes that he is guilty of both. The only remaining question is whether the members of the Senate will accept and carry out the responsibility placed on them by the Framers of our Constitution and their constitutional oaths.
In explaining why the U.S. Senate must convict and remove the President, the House Managers also wrote:
The Constitution entrusts Congress with the solemn task of impeaching and removing from office a President who engages in “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” The impeachment power is an essential check on the authority of the President, and Congress must exercise this power when the President places his personal or political interests above those of the Nation. President Trump has done precisely that. His misconduct challenges the fundamental principle that Americans should decide American elections, and that a divided system of government, in which no single branch operates without the check and balance of the others, preserves the liberty we all hold dear.
The country is watching to see how the Senate responds. History will judge each Senator’s willingness to rise above partisan differences, view the facts honestly, and defend the Constitution. The outcome of these proceedings will determine whether generations to come will enjoy a safe and secure democracy in which the President is not a king, and in which no one, particularly the President, is above the law.
Finally, throughout the brief, the House Managers reiterated the central argument of the case against the President:
“President Trump abused the powers of his office to invite foreign interference in an election for his political gain and to the detriment of American national security interests. He abandoned his oath to execute the laws faithfully and betrayed his public trust. President Trump’s misconduct presents a danger to our democratic processes, our national security, and our commitment to the rule of law. He must be removed from office.”
The President’s trial brief is due by today at noon, and the House’s reply brief is scheduled Tuesday at noon.
The House Managers who will present the House’s case against the President of the United States in the U.S. Senate are the following: Chairman Adam Schiff of California, Chairman Jerry Nadler of New York, Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren of California, Chairman Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Congresswoman Val Demings of Florida, Congressman Jason Crow of Colorado and Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia of Texas. The staff of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on the Judiciary, and the Committee on Oversight and Reform are assisting the Managers during the impeachment trial.
-Intelligence.House.gov
For those of you who want to read the full “Trial Memorandum on the Articles Of Impeachment Against President Trump” here is the link:
https://intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/in_re_president_trump_house_impeachment_trial_brief_and_sof_1.18.20.pdf
Attorney Pat Cipollone leads the pack of high power attorneys (he serves as President Trumps White House Counsel). Second in command is Jay Sekulow (Donald Trump’s good friend and long time attorney), and to finish off the top 5 are Alan Dershowitz (constitutional lawyer and Harvard Law Professor who represented Epstein and OJ Simpson). Kenneth Star (prosecutor who led the Bill Clinton impeachment), and Robert Ray all lead Trump’s legal team and are not worried about a televised appearance. Their main goal is to strategize on how to present evidence in a lively, relevant, relatable, heartfelt manner because it will be, and people will be watching. Trump has made many indications that he was not happy with everyone on his team. In 1999, he made multiple comments about Starr being out of his mind, and his feelings have changed since then. He did not say who his full legal team would be. Starr was seen on Fox News making comments about how there was overwhelming evidence against President Trump. There have been multiple reports on how the President wants certain people removed from his trial team, the main one being Starr, but with the trial already in process that may be near impossible to do and could hurt him tremendously down the road.
We are going to have to have an entertaining trial as evidence allegedly shows the President dates back when he was just running for President. As we all know, the 2016 election was very televised, very passionate, and very heartbreaking for a lot of Americans. The accusations against Russia and Ukraine hacking and meddling in the 2016 election were said to be the main contribution to the dramatic loss of Hilary Clinton. The pent up tension and flood of anger that displayed after President Trump’s official swearing-in will be present again. I predict this will show in record television ratings. Adding to the views will be the drone of Trump supporters who will be biting their nails in nervousness as they see their hero/mentor on trial.
President Trump had made it very clear; that he wants the trial to be over before February 4th, which is the date of the ‘State Of The Union.’Â The prosecution, in his eyes, is nothing more but an annoyance and a hindrance and interferes with him serving the citizens of the United States. He wants to tell them with full assurance what he will be doing for them for the next four years. He doesn’t want a black cloud of distraction hovering over his head. The events surrounding this trial, like the 2016 primaries, have been anything but boring! This trial is going to be the most passionate, gut-wrenching, unprecedented political televised thing this year! Way to unintentionally start the year with a bang! I want to thank the U.S. Government for making the 3rd week of January more T.V. worthy than Netflix!
