Ukraine Gate case: President's impeachment trial begins in Senate chaired by Supreme Court president • To convict Trump would need two-thirds to plead guilty • Ukraine announced to launch investigation • "It's a witch hunt" • Prospect of conviction - slim, following Republican majority

• President Trump. "The procedure will not lead to anything" // Photo Archive: IP

The "Ukraine Gate" affair turned into a real trial yesterday when the Senate accepted the indictment against President Trump. "It's a witch hunt that will lead to nothing," the president attacked in response.

As the Constitution requires, Chief Justice John Roberts came to begin the Special Court proceedings and satiated the jury, which are the 100 senators.

Trump's impeachment process continues in the House of Representatives // Photo: Reuters

To convict Trump of the indictments - most notably the alleged attempt to use his office to rake in political capital by pressure on the President of Ukraine - would require two-thirds to declare him guilty. The president probably won't be convicted because the Republican Party controls the Senate.

In a difficult timing for Trump, there were several developments in the affair yesterday. An internal, non-political body of government has ruled that the White House violated the law while blocking the transfer of $ 400 million in foreign aid to Ukraine.

The audit body - the Office of Government Accountability - ruled that the White House Budget Office, which suspended the transfer of funds, violated a law that restricts the administration's ability to prevent congressional appropriations.

The president got more bad news when Lev Farnes - who was the colleague of President Rudy Giuliani's personal attorney and charged in October with violating election laws - said in an interview that Trump knew about all his actions in Ukraine, including the surveillance of who was the US ambassador to the country, Marie Jovanovich.

Senate trial opens - jury swearing-in ceremony // Photo: IP

"He was aware of everything I did. I wouldn't have done anything without Giuliani's or the president's consent," he said. He said President and Giuliani had ordered him to press Ukrainian officials to launch a public inquiry against Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, who may be Trump's opponent in the presidential election. Therefore, he explained, the campaign began to oust Jovanovic, who resisted the pressure to open an investigation.

Following the new information, Ukraine yesterday announced the opening of an investigation into the matter. Trump attacked the revelations and called them a "disgrace," adding that these were attempts to discredit him on a party-only basis.