When former President Trump is tried again for impeachment, it will be Senator Patrick Leahy, president pro tempore of the Senate, who will preside, and not the president of the Supreme Court, John Roberts.
“The president pro tempore has historically presided over the impeachment trials of non-presidents in the Senate,” Leahy confirmed in a statement on Monday. “In presiding over an impeachment trial, the president pro tempore takes an additional special oath to do impartial justice in accordance with the constitution and the laws. It is an oath that I take extraordinarily seriously ”.
Roberts presided over Mr. Trump’s first impeachment trial, as designated by the Constitution. But the constitution is silent about who presides over the trial of a former president in the Senate, and a former president has never faced an impeachment trial.
An aide to Leahy said over the weekend that it was not the senator’s preference to preside over the trial. But the Vermont senator also said he considers his role as president pro tempore as “one of the greatest honors and most serious responsibilities of my career”.
“When I preside over former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, I will not waver from my constitutional and sworn obligations to administer the trial fairly, in accordance with the constitution and the laws,” said Leahy.
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 funding committee, he will also be heavily involved in the negotiations on President Biden’s COVID-19 economic aid package.
Senators will take an oath this week for the trial of former President Trump. O impeachment item will be delivered to the Senate at 7 pm, and then presented and read to senators. The House’s impeachment managers and Trump’s defense team will then have two weeks to prepare for the trial, which will begin the week of February 8.
The House accused Trump on January 13 on charges of inciting an insurrection. A week earlier, Trump had told a crowd of his supporters to “fight like hell” while Congress counted the votes of the Electoral College, the last step in ending Biden’s victory. A crowd of his supporters invaded the United States Capitol, causing lawmakers to flee and delaying the counting of electoral votes by nearly six hours. Five people died as a result of the confusion.