The two impeachment charges against President Trump were ceremonially handed over to the Senate by the House of Representatives. A small group of Democrats walked silently from the House of Representatives with the so-called articles of impeachment through the halls of the Capitol to the Senate, which is further down the building.
Later today, the US Senate will be transformed into a courtroom, and then the charges will probably be officially read out.
The documents were signed by President Nancy Pelosi of the House. “This president must be accountable,” she said, handing out pens to mark the moment.
The removal proceedings against Trump will probably start next Tuesday. The Senate must first decide what the process will look like exactly, whether witnesses are called up, for example.
The mood in the House earlier in the day went as expected almost entirely according to the party lines. 228 delegates voted for handover and 193 against. With that, the Democrats officially accuse the president of abuse of power and opposition from Congress.
Trump firmly denies and again called the deposition procedure a big hoax. The chance that he will actually be deposed is small, because Republicans have the majority in the Senate. He or she determines at the court stage whether the president is guilty and must do so with a two-thirds majority.
About the author: Rick Culpepper
Rick Culpepper is of those journalists who dig the topic to the very bottom. He is often late with the delivery of the piece, but always does it perfectly. In his spare time, he collects data for one of the most high-profile investigations of corruption in the EU.
