Follow the minute-by-minute Trump political trial here
The United States Senate on Tuesday began the political trial against President Donald Trump, only the third in the country's history , amid partisan quarrels about the rules that will regulate the process and whether, in the end, the convocation will be allowed of additional witnesses.
The process, in charge of the president of the Supreme Court, John Roberts, began shortly after one o'clock in the afternoon local time, with the revision of the rules that will regulate the debate of the accusations against Trump for abuse of power and obstruction to the Congress. The charges are linked to his alleged pressure on Ukraine to initiate an investigation of his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden.
Following the objections of the Democrats, the leader of the Republican majority in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, modified the rules by hand, so that both the prosecution and the defense will present their arguments for a total of 24 hours spread over three days, instead of two
McConnell will also allow the inclusion of evidence already reviewed by the House of Representatives during the Democratic investigation into Trump's alleged irregularities to pressure Ukraine to investigate Biden, as part of his effort to facilitate his re-election on November 3.
The leader of the Democratic minority in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, presented an amendment to demand the delivery of hundreds of Administration documents related to the pressure to Ukraine, but does not seem to have the 51 minimum votes needed to achieve it.
Democrats also ask for the call of additional witnesses, but according to sources close to the Administration, both the defense and Republican senators work behind the scenes to prevent the testimony of advisers such as John Bolton, former National Security ex-adviser of the White House.
But Trump's lawyer, Pat Cipollone, argued that the charges against the president "are not only ridiculous but dangerous for the republic," and criticized the Democrats now want more time to argue their case.
Shortly before, the California Democratic legislator, Adam Schiff, who leads the team of administrators or prosecutors in the case, listed what he considered "failures" in the Republican resolution, and accused the Republicans of wanting to "cover up" the evidence.
"You have all taken an oath to have an impartial justice ... that oath requires a fair trial," which will not happen if your party exonerates you without allowing witnesses or additional documents, Schiff argued.
The senators, who took an oath to act with "impartiality", will vote today on the resolution with the rules, and from tomorrow until next Friday they will hear the arguments of the accusation.
Subsequently, the defense will have its turn and, according to the calendar, the trial will tentatively culminate with a vote to dismiss or exonerate Trump on January 31. Two thirds of the Senate will be required to approve at least one of the charges to dismiss him.
From the full Senate, to which Telemundo News had access with a small group of journalists, senators took notes in silence, or listened with folded arms. Some had huge folders full of documents.
The process is carried out under strong security measures: electronic devices of any kind are not allowed - only paper and pencil or a pen - and the public must go through metal detectors. The wait for the public is up to two hours, and only 21 people are allowed to enter the room at a time.
From Davos, Switzerland, where he participates in a world economic forum, Trump has denounced that the process is "a farce", while the president of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said that Republicans " have chosen to cover up the president , in instead of honoring his oath to the Constitution. ”
"Embarrassingly, this false proposal does not even allow admitting the House records as evidence in the trial," Pelosi complained in a statement.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, the seven Democratic congressmen who serve as trial prosecutors will present their case, among which the Spanish Sylvia García stands out, and whose challenge will be to persuade the Republicans to allow more witnesses.
As of next Saturday, the tribe will play the defense team, led by Cipollone and which also includes Ken Starr, an independent ex-lawyer who prosecuted Bill Clinton in 1999, and Alan Dershowitz, a famous expert in constitutional law, who They have promised to show that Trump did not commit any crime and that the charges are politically motivated.
Trump: "It's embarrassing"
From Davos, Switzerland, where he participates in the World Economic Forum, Trump called this process a "farce . "
"It's a witch hunt that has been going on for years and, frankly, it's embarrassing," the president said in statements reproduced by NBC News.
His legal team presented Monday a document in which he affirms that the political trial is "a dangerous misrepresentation of the Constitution," which also jeopardizes the right to vote of Americans.
Cipollone repeated today the argument of the Administration and its allies that the Senate must reject the charges and acquit the president.
On the Democratic side, Schumer and other leaders of his bench warned that McConnell's proposal is a "cover-up."
Speaking to the press, the Democratic Senator for Illinois, Dick Durbin, said today that "nobody is above the law," and condemned that Republicans are covering up Trump, ignoring his constitutional obligations.
Today, it is only the third presidential political trial in the history of the United States, and occurs only thirteen days before the start of the primaries for the 2020 elections, with four Democratic senators running for the presidential nomination of their party .
Pelosi, who led the accusations against Trump, heads a congressional delegation that travels to Poland and Israel to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Auschwitz's release at the end of World War II.
Edited by Felipe Gálvez, with reports from the Washington correspondent, María Peña.
See also: Cacerolazos in Washington DC for the political trial of President Trump
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