Donald Trump's second impeachment trial begins in US Senate

Washington, Feb 10: The second impeachment trial of Donald Trump began in the US Senate on Tuesday, with the former president facing a charge of "incitement of insurrection" after his supporters stormed the US Capitol last month and engaged in clashes that left five people dead.

The historic trial opened with House managers playing a graphic video of the January 6 takeover of the Capitol interspersed with the former president's words.

Chuck Schumer, the Democratic senator from New York, opened the trial by saying it focused on "the gravest charges ever brought against a president of the United States in American history".

Senators, sitting as jurors, will be hearing up to four hours of debate over whether the Constitution allows the chamber to try a president who has left office.

House managers are seeking to make the case that Trump instigated the riot.

In a 33-page written reply to Trump's legal team Tuesday, the managers said that he has "no good defense of his incitement of an insurrection against the nation he swore an oath to protect" and that he was trying to shift the blame to his supporters while citing flawed legal theories.

With a majority of Americans expressing horror and outrage at the attack on the Capitol, the allegations against Trump could land much more powerfully with the public than did the story of his seeking political favors from Ukraine in return for official acts.