Posted by Scott Lucas | Feb 9, 2021 |
Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial begins on Tuesday in the Senate, with House impeachment managers claiming “the most grievous constitutional crime” over Trump’s incitement of the attack on the US Capitol on January 6.
The managers summarized the charge of “incitement of insurrection” in a five-page response to the 78-page brief filed by Trump’s defense team, which insisted that a former President cannot be tried for his actions.
Most legal and constitutional experts have rejected that argument, and there is precedent for the Senate hearing the cases of former US officials and judges, dating to the 1876 trial of recently-resigned Secretary of War William Belknap.