House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) signed an indictment against President Donald Trump on January 13, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Stefani Reynolds | Getty Images
The House will deliver the indictment against former President Donald Trump to the Senate on Monday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Friday.
The action will begin the process for the second trial the former president has faced on charges of major crimes and misdemeanors. While Trump has already left the White House, the Senate may vote to withhold him from holding office if he is found guilty.
The House accused Trump earlier this month of inciting an uprising against the government by inflating a mob that stormed the Capitol on January 6. official.
The Senate will need 67 votes to convict Trump. If all 50 Democrats support conviction, they will need 17 Republicans to join them.
Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, of the Senate Minority Leader, spoke to Schumer, expressing concern that Trump would not have enough time to tackle a defense. He asked the House to send the article Thursday to ensure a complete and fair trial.
Trump hired South Carolina attorney Butch Bowers to defend him during the trial. The nine indictments that will be heard are Democratic representatives. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Diana DeGette of Colorado, David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Joaquin Castro of Texas, Eric Swalwell and Ted Lieu of California, Stacey Plaskett, the U.S. Virgin Islands delegate, Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania and Joe Neguse of Colorado .
House President Nancy Pelosi, who would not say on Thursday when her room would pass the article to the Senate, argued that the managers did not have to prepare as much evidence for the second trial as for the first year ago.
“This year, the whole world has witnessed the incitement of the president, the execution of his call to action and the violence used,” the California Democrat told reporters on Thursday.
Schumer said he spoke to McConnell about “the timing and duration of the trial,” but gave no details on how long it would take. The Democratic leader is aiming to balance accusations with the confirmation of Biden’s cabinet members and the adoption of a coronavirus bill.
“The Senate must and will do all three,” he said Friday.
The first trial Trump faced last year on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress lasted about three weeks. The Republican Senate acquitted him.
This story unfolds. Check back for updates.
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