When is former President Trump try again for accusation, it will be Senator Patrick Leahy, the pro tempore president of the Senate, who will preside, rather than Chief Justice John Roberts.
“The president pro tempore has historically presented the presidency of the Senate’s accusation of non-presidents,” Leahy confirmed in a statement Monday. “The president pro tempore takes a special oath to do impartial justice according to the Constitution and the laws. It is an oath that I take extremely seriously.”
Roberts was chairman of Mr. Trump’s first indictment, as designated by the Constitution. But the Constitution is silent on the question of who presides over the Senate trial of a former president, and a former president has never faced an indictment.
A Leahy assistant said over the weekend that it was not the senator’s preference to preside over the trial. But the Vermont senator also said he viewed his role as president pro tempore as “one of the highest honors and greatest responsibilities in my career.”
“If I preside over the indictment hearing of former President Donald Trump, I will not deviate from my constitutional and sworn obligations to conduct the trial fairly, in accordance with the Constitution and the laws,” Leahy said.
He noted in an interview with MSNBC on Sunday that he also has another job to do at the same time – as chairman of the allocation committee he will also be strongly involved in negotiations on President Biden’s economic relief package COVID-19.
Senators are being sworn in this week for the trial of former President Trump. The accused article will be delivered at 19:00 to the Senate, and then submitted and read to the senators. The indictment managers of the House and the defense team of Mr. Trump then has two weeks to prepare for the trial, and the trial will begin in the week of February 8.
The House has Mr. Trump was indicted on Jan. 13 on charges of inciting an uprising. A week before, Mr. Trump told a crowd of his supporters to “fight like hell” while Congress counts the votes of the Electoral College, the final step to the victory of Mr. Pray to complete. A crowd of his supporters stormed into the U.S. Capitol, sending lawmakers on the run and recounting the vote count for nearly six hours. Five people were killed as a result of the protest.