Following a historic vote in the House of Representatives on Wednesday to impeach President Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, the focus will shift to the Senate, where the House will present its case against Mr. Trump, and the president’s lawyers will defend him from allegations he committed high crimes and misdemeanors.
The parameters of the Senate’s trial remain unknown, though the upper chamber has blocked off the month of January for the proceedings. Among the details that have yet to be revealed are which lawmakers will serve as impeachment managers and present the two articles of impeachment against the president to the Senate.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will choose the group of House members to make the lower chamber’s case in the Senate trial, and the House will then vote on a resolution designating them impeachment managers.
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Independent Justin Amash as impeachment manager?
While it’s currently unknown who will be picked, Democratic Representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota led a campaign in favor of naming Representative Justin Amash, an independent from Michigan who left the GOP earlier this year, as an impeachment manager.
Those handpicked to serve as managers will play a crucial role in what will be the third impeachment trial in U.S. history, working to convince senators that Mr. Trump deserves to be removed from office for his conduct.
Effectively serving as prosecutors for the Senate trial, they may also respond to arguments presented by the president’s defense team and answer written questions from senators, according to a November report on impeachment from the Congressional Research Service.
Are any of the Clinton House managers still in Congress?
During the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, 13 Republican lawmakers served as impeachment managers. Of those 13, three — Congressmen Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin and Steve Chabot of Ohio, and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, then in the House — remain in Congress. One of the impeachment managers, California Congressman James Rogan, lost his seat following the Clinton impeachment to Democrat Adam Schiff, who now serves as the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and led the impeachment inquiry into Mr. Trump.
Over a span of three days in mid-January 1999, the 13 impeachment managers argued senators should vote to remove Clinton from office for lying to a grand jury about his relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky and for attempted obstruction of justice. In the end, they were unsuccessful and Clinton was acquitted.
Trump’s Senate trial
It remains unknown how many days will be dedicated to the Senate’s impeachment trial, including the time allotted for House managers and for Mr. Trump’s team to present opening arguments.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer suggested in a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Sunday that House managers begin their presentation January 9 and have 24 hours to lay out the House’s case. Schumer also proposed a period of 16 hours for senators to question both House managers and Mr. Trump’s defense team, and six hours total for each to deliver final arguments.
To remove Mr. Trump from office, two-thirds of the Senate must convict Mr. Trump of one or both articles of impeachment.
The first article accuses the president of abusing his power for his personal, political gain by pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to announce investigations into Democratic political rivals as the administration was withholding military assistance to Ukraine. The second article charges Mr. Trump with obstructing Congress by ordering administration officials and agencies not to comply with House subpoenas for witness testimony and documents during its impeachment probe.
