Second day of Donald Trump's impeachment trial begins in US Senate

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - After it was voted yesterday that the second impeachment trial of former US President Donald Trump is in accordance with the US Constitution, the presentation of arguments and evidence in the case begins today in the US Senate.

The impeachment managers - Democrats - begin their two-day presentation today to convince Republican senators that former President Donald Trump is responsible for the deadly riots at the US Capitol, where rioters attacked the Capitol and disrupted the peaceful transfer of power.

The managers will show, as announced, never-before-seen security footage of the Capitol in their presentation to show the extent of the violence that occurred and the threat the rioters posed to everyone in the Capitol, according to senior aides of the House impeachment team, the BBC reports, as carried by BHRT.

Aides told reporters that the footage will be used as part of a compelling presentation showing a view of the "extreme violence" on January 6, as managers claim that Trump incited the rioters.

Trial Rules
According to the rules, both sides now have 16 hours each to present their cases - starting today at 12:00 PM US time, or 6:00 PM our time.

Neither side can exceed eight hours of presentation on any given day, and it cannot take more than two days to present all the evidence.

After that, the Senate will have a total of four hours to question both sides.

If the prosecutors decide to call witnesses or request more documents, each side can have four hours to present its case.

The two sides will then have a total of four hours to present their closing arguments.

Both Republicans and Democrats are eager for a swift trial, US media report, so a conviction could be voted on as early as this weekend if there are no witnesses to hear.

Let us recall, the House of Representatives of Congress voted on January 13 with 232 votes to impeach Trump for "incitement to violence".

Trump is accused of inciting his supporters to riot with a speech he gave near the White House on January 6, when he told the crowd they should "fight like hell" and suggested they march towards the Capitol building to pressure Republican lawmakers to overturn the voters' will. At the time, the confirmation of Joe Biden's election victory was taking place in the Capitol.

After the speech, his supporters stormed the Capitol building to try to stop the process of confirming the results. Five people died as a result of the invasion.

Democrats in the House of Representatives say his repeated refusal to concede the election to Joe Biden incited the riot, and that he should be disqualified from ever running again.

Trump's lawyers argued that the trial is unconstitutional because he is now a private citizen, but senators voted 56 to 44 yesterday to decide that it is in accordance with the Constitution. Six Republicans voted for such a decision. They also say the proceedings violate his right to freedom of speech.

They are also expected to argue that Trump's supporters attacked Congress on their own and that his remarks before the riot did not constitute incitement.

Trump is the only US president to have been impeached twice by the House of Representatives. Before Trump, the House impeached Presidents Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998, but the Senate acquitted them.

If convicted in the upcoming trial, Trump would become the first US president to be convicted by the Senate on charges from the House of Representatives.

Donald Trump's presidential term ended on January 20 after Joe Biden won 306 electoral votes in the presidential election.