Trump's 2nd impeachment: How the process works? What if a conviction occurs?

Washington, Jan 13: The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives would vote on the impeachment of outgoing President Donald Trump on Wednesday on charges of inciting his supporters to carry out a violent attack on the Capitol Hill last week.

The article of impeachment charges Trump with a count of "incitement of insurrection" for his actions on January 6, when he delivered a speech inciting his supporters to lay siege to the Capitol, an action that temporarily halted the counting of Electoral College votes and resulted in the deaths of five individuals, including an officer of the US Capitol Police.

Several Republicans have voiced their support for impeachment, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Liz Cheney, the third-ranking House Republican.

If successful, Donald Trump would be either the first president in U.S. history to be removed from office by impeachment, or the first former president to be convicted by the Senate. Either result could permanently disqualify Trump from holding public office in the United States.

Vice President Pence has ruled out an invocation of the 25th Amendment, which would allow him (perhaps only temporarily) to assume the presidency.

Impeachment in the United States

Impeachment in the United States is the process by which a legislature (usually in the form of the lower house) brings charges against a civil officer of government for crimes alleged to have been committed, analogous to the bringing of an indictment by a grand jury. Impeachment may occur at the federal level or the state level.

The federal House of Representatives can impeach federal officials, including the president, and most states' legislatures can impeach state officials, including the governor, in accordance with their respective federal or state constitution.

How does impeachment works?

The House will convene at 9 a.m. ET (7.30 pm IST) on Wednesday. The impeachment resolution on the House floor includes one article, citing "incitement of insurrection," will be debated on the House floor. lawmakers will begin debating the rule that establishes that there will be two hours of debate the impeachment resolution. After the House debates that rule, they vote on it which will typically last for 15 minutes.

The Judiciary committee ordinarily has jurisdiction over impeachments. If it moves forward, appointed House members act as prosecutors during a Senate trial. A conviction of any one of the articles of impeachment requires the support of a two-thirds majority of the senators present.

However, it's unclear how quickly House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will transmit the impeachment resolution to the Senate after it passes the House. The Senate is not scheduled to be in session until Jan 19, the day before Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States.

What if a conviction occurs?

If the Senate gives a two-thirds majority vote on any article of impeachment, the result is removal from office. The Senate can also vote separately if the person should be disqualified from holding office in the future. As per the Constitution, if a president is removed or resigns from office, the vice president takes over.