Bloomberg News
@Bloomberg-News·2.8M subscribers·40.1K videos
Why Trump's Second Impeachment Trial Could Set a Dangerous Precedent
Posted
February 9, 2021
Views
325
Likes
5
Comments
11
Engagement
February 9, 2021
325
5
11
4.92%
Every word spoken in this episode is indexed. Type any phrase to jump straight to the moment it was said.
Type any word or phrase that may have been spoken. Click a result to seek the player to that exact moment.
Try a name, a topic, or a quoted line
1:50Now PlayingThe unprecedented second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump will begin Tuesday with a debate on whether the proceeding is constitutional, under rules being negotiated between Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and GOP leader Mitch McConnell, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The constitutional question will be settled by a simple majority vote in the Senate after four hours of debate, according to the person. At noon on Wednesday the House impeachment managers and Trump’s defense team each will begin up to 16 hours of presentations.
Schumer and McConnell are close to an agreement on the rules for the trial, less than 24 hours before it’s set to start. There may be a separate vote on whether to call witnesses, the person said.
Many Senate Republicans have already been making the argument that trying the former president after he’s left office is unconstitutional, a sign that Trump is all but assured of escaping conviction, as he did in first impeachment trial a year ago.
Last week, 144 lawyers and constitutional scholars from across the political spectrum argued in a letter reported by the New York Times that Trump’s speech and conduct on Jan. 6 were not protected by the First Amendment, terming the suggestion “legally frivolous.”
Still, 45 of 50 Senate Republicans voted to debate a resolution declaring the trial unconstitutional because Trump is no longer in office, a rough proxy for the vote on a verdict. It would take 17 Republicans along with all 50 senators on the Democratic side to convict Trump.
Trump’s defense team, led by attorneys David Schoen and Bruce L. Castor Jr., filed its trial brief on Monday. They previewed their case in an initial response to the Jan. 13 House impeachment, contending that the trial is unconstitutional because Trump is no longer in office. They also plan to argue that impeaching Trump over his fiery Jan. 6 speech to a crowd of supporters near the White House violates his rights of free speech under the First Amendment.
The nine House managers serving as prosecutors said in their 80-page brief last week that it’s “unmistakable” Trump is responsible for the insurrection, and that he must be convicted and barred from holding federal office again. They will emphasize his words at the rally held before a mob descended on the Capitol, as well as his actions leading up to the attack, including his months-long attempt to overturn the election results.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel
Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world.
To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app.
Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake
Connect with us on…
Breaking News on YouTube
Sentinel Indexing in Progress
Metadata and chapters are available. Claim extraction for this episode is pending.
All video content is delivered via YouTube embedded players in accordance with the YouTube Terms of Service. Sentinel provides research tools that promote discovery and accountability across political media.
