Donald Trump could be ‘kingmaker’ in new party says expert
Donald Trump is due to face trial for “Incitement to Insurrection” following the storming of the US Capitol by his far-right supporters. The disgraced former president left the White House on January 20, and has now parted with the lawyers representing him in his second impeachment trial in the Senate, US media reports.
Butch Bowers and Deborah Barberi have departed Mr Trump’s legal team, an apparently mutual decision.
Greg Harris and Johnny Gasser, two former federal prosecutors from South Carolina, have also left the team, the Associated Press reported.
They were reportedly unwilling to defend Mr Trump on the basis of alleged election fraud.
Mr Trump spent the last months of his maligned presidency claiming there was widespread fraud during the election. The claims remain unsubstantiated.
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His actions resulted in far-right extremists attempting an insurrection on the Capitol as lawmakers were ratifying Joe Biden’s win in the November election.
Mr Biden has now been inaugurated as President of the United States, and has already made headway reversing some of Mr Trump’s key policies.
It is now unclear who will represent Mr Trump in the trial.
Mr Trump is the only president in history to be impeached twice.
He was first impeached in 2019 over his dealings with Ukraine, but was acquitted by the Senate.
Impeachment is the process by which Congress can put presidents on trial.
A variety of offences can lead to a president being impeached, including treason, bribery, and other extreme crimes.
Impeachment is rare, and successful impeachment trials even less so, with it largely being dependent on the President’s own party turning against them to pass the necessary amount of votes.
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When does the trial start?
The Senate trial will begin on February 8.
A two-third majority is needed for the former president to be convicted.
If he is convicted, he could be barred from holding public office again – meaning he cannot run for president again, something he has hinted at attempting.
The disgraced president has made it clear he does not plan on quitting politics, having set up an office for the purpose of continuing the agenda of his former administration.
A statement said: “The Office will be responsible for managing President Trump’s correspondence, public statements, appearances, and official activities to advance the interests of the United States and to carry on the agenda of the Trump Administration through advocacy, organising, and public activism.”
Mr Trump is also facing possible repercussions as lawyers in New York are attempting to prosecute him for crimes committed before he became president.
Lawyers are independently pursuing potential criminal charges related to Mr Trump’s business practices prior to his presidency.
He is also facing several charges of sexual assault from multiple women.
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