Impeachment: Prosecutors appeal to senators - "You have a duty to perform"

The impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump have been dominating the headlines for weeks. In their closing arguments, the prosecutors appealed to the senators.

Update from Monday, February 3, 2020, 6:56 pm: The prosecution in impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump once again urged the Senate to hold the US President accountable for the abuse of power. Jason Crow, a Democratic congressman from the Prosecutor team, appealed to the senators on Monday at the closing speech: “You have a duty to perform. It is your duty to condemn President Trump. "

This was not an easy step, but the US Constitution does not allow the President to be impeached for a reason, Crow warned. "Nobody is above the law in America." The indictment had proven that Trump had misused his office to influence the next election for his own benefit.

Impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump: decision on charges lies with the Senate

The U.S. House of Representatives had indicted Trump with the majority of Democrats for abuse of power and interference with Congress investigations. Trump is said to have urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj to investigate his democratic rival Joe Biden in order to influence the 2020 US presidential election in his favor. The Democrats see it as proven that Trump has made the release of military aid to Kiev and a meeting with Selenskyj in the White House dependent on the announcement of such an investigation. When that came out, Trump did everything he could to block the House investigation. Trump rejects the allegations.

The decision on the two charges lies with the Senate, which takes on the role of a court in impeachment proceedings. The Chamber is due to vote on the charges on Wednesday, thereby making its final judgment in the case. Trump's Republicans have the majority there.

Update from Sunday, 02.02.2020, 1:50 p.m .: Shortly before the impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump end, there are new headlines again. Accordingly, thanks to his privileges as US President, Trump had details of 24 emails related to the Ukraine affair declared classified. A few hours before the reports were published, the Senate had refused to testify in the impeachment process, thereby sealing an end to the process.

Emails about the Ukraine affair under lock and key

The federal agency Office of Management and Budget (OMB) had "edited" parts of the emails, according to high-ranking OMB employee Heather Walsh in a court document, according to media reports. The post-processed emails of the President, his deputy Mike Pence and Trump's close adviser said the "presidential decision-making process on the scope, duration and purpose of the withholding of military aid for Ukraine", media Walsh cite.

Impeachment proceedings will soon come to an end

This $ 391 million restrained military assistance to Ukraine is at the heart of Trump's impeachment process. The Democrats accuse the US President of abuse of office. The impeachment process will come to an end next Wednesday, the acquittal of the president is considered certain due to the majority.

The US President wrote on Twitter on Saturday that he is currently enjoying the best poll results since his election in November 2016 - "despite the ongoing liar witch hunts". However, according to the RealClearPolitics website, Trump's approval ratings average 44.6 percent of the polls, almost the same as when he took office three years ago.

Update from Saturday, February 1, 2020 at 6:30 p.m .: The impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump will end next week. The Senate set the final vote for Wednesday. The Democrats finally failed on Friday evening in the Chamber of Congress trying to enforce the subpoena of witnesses in the trial. It is therefore highly likely that the Senate Trump will clear the allegations with the majority of Republicans on Wednesday. The Democrats called this a "tragedy" and argued that an acquittal would have no value without a real trial with witnesses.

The decision on the two charges lies with the Senate, which takes on the role of a court in impeachment proceedings. The impeachment process there began in mid-January. For weeks, the Democrats demanded that the Senate allow new testimony from witnesses close to Trump, including his defeated national security adviser, John Bolton. With extracts from an as yet unpublished book, the latter had recently provided additional information in the Ukraine affair that was stressful for Trump. In view of this, several Republican senators had initially signaled that a possible consent to the witness summons should be considered. The Democrats ultimately failed to get four Republican senators on their side for a majority.

Only two Republicans were changed

The Senate finally dismissed the Democrats' call for witnesses with the majority of Trump's Republicans on Friday evening. Only two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Mitt Romney, voted here with the Democrats - not enough for a majority.

Democratic minority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, spoke of a "tragedy". The country will remember the day when the Senate turned away from the truth and opted for a "sham process". If the president is acquitted in a trial without witnesses, the acquittal is of no value. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said the Republicans' vote against the summons of witnesses made them "accomplices in covering up the president". Without a proper trial with witnesses, there can be no acquittal.

Judgment on Wednesday

The Senate set the further schedule on Friday evening. Accordingly, the chamber pauses at the weekend. On Monday, the prosecutors and Trump's defense lawyers will have a total of four hours to make their closing statements. The final judgment will follow on Wednesday. There had originally been speculation that the procedure could end on Saturday night. This did not happen.

The completion of the impeachment process will thus come in a particularly politically eventful week in the USA: On Monday evening (local time), the first area code is due in the state of Iowa, in which Democrats and Republicans determine who they choose for their party's best presidential candidate hold. The President's traditional speech on the state of the nation to both congressional chambers is scheduled for Tuesday evening (local time).

For Trump, it would have been politically desirable if the impeachment process had ended before this important speech. The president can now contest the speech with the prospect of an imminent acquittal.

Because of the Republican majority in the Senate, it is extremely unlikely that Trump could be removed from office. 67 senators would have to vote for at least one of the two charges. At least 20 Republicans would have to side with the Democrats for this. That is not in sight.

Update from Friday, January 31, 2020, 8:15 a.m .: The impeachment procedure against Donald Trump in the Senate is heading towards its decisive phase: The senators want to vote today on the central issue of whether new witnesses and evidence will be admitted in the procedure. This is a demand from the Democrats who hope for incriminating materials against the Republican Trump. However, they should hardly have any chances to assert themselves. The trial could end with an acquittal on Friday.

On the night of Friday, an important Republican senator declared that he would not vote for the admission of new witnesses. Senator Lamar Alexander said: "No further evidence is required to prove something that has already been proven." The evidence did not meet the requirements for impeachment. The Republicans have 53 of the 100 seats in the Senate. To allow testimony to be heard, four Republican senators would have to vote with the Democrats. This majority would not be possible without Alexander.

Trump accused the Democrats of wanting to overturn the 2016 election result at a campaign event in Des Moines, Iowa: "They want to void your ballot papers and poison our democracy and overthrow the entire government system," he said. "That will not happen."

Ex-advisor Bolton becomes an incalculable risk for Trump

Update from Thursday, January 30, 2020, 6:15 a.m .: What is happening to John Bolton's previously unpublished book? And will the former National Security Advisor testify in the impeachment process against Donald Trump before the Senate or not? These are the questions that all observers in Washington are currently asking.

So far, it is only certain that the White House wants to prevent the publication of the manuscript at all costs. The National Security Council said Bolton's manuscript appeared to contain "significant amounts of secret information." Under applicable law and a confidentiality agreement signed by John Bolton , the manuscript could not be published until this information was deleted, a letter to Bolton's lawyer Charles Cooper, dated Thursday last week (Jan. 23), said.

The letter does not say exactly what parts of Bolton's book are concerned. Bolton had submitted the manuscript to the White House for review, as is common among government officials or former government officials.

Bolton's lawyer published his answer on Wednesday evening (Jan. 29), stressing that the information in Bolton's Ukraine manuscript could not be classified as "reasonable" on a "reasonable" scale.

Bolton is also ready to testify in the Senate, Cooper said. So far, however, the White House has not yet given him an answer as to which passages in the chapter on Ukraine will be criticized, he continued.

Thursday is still reserved in the Senate for questions from the Senators to the House Prosecutors and Trump's defenders. Already on Friday there could be a vote on the admission of testimonies. "There can be no fair trial without witnesses," emphasized the House Prosecutor, Democrat Adam Schiff. A witness like Bolton, who had such relevant information on the “outrageous wrongdoing” of the President, had to be summoned, continued to challenge Schiff.

If no witnesses are admitted, the Senate, with the majority of the Republicans, could quickly reject Trump's possible impeachment - perhaps even on Friday.

Donald Trump attacks ex-advisor Bolton

Update from Wednesday, January 29, 2020, 9:38 p.m .: Former National Security Advisor John Bolton developed into a key figure in impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump. The Democrats now see him as a key witness to clarifying the Ukraine affair, while the President, on the other hand, portrays his former top employee as a crazy hardliner To consider - which would be very inconvenient for Trump.

Meanwhile, the president did his utmost to undermine Bolton's credibility. "If I had listened to him, we would be in the Sixth World War," Trump wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. Therefore he had to fire Bolton.

The impeachment process has now entered the next phase in the Senate . After completing the opening speech, the senators were given the opportunity to ask questions for the first time on Wednesday. Up until and including Thursday, they have time to write to the House Prosecutors and Trump's defense lawyers.

Impeachment process: White House wants to stop Bolton book

In the meantime, it has been announced that the White House is banning the publication of parts of a planned book by John Bolton that President Donald Trump is to be heavily burdened in the Ukraine affair. The manuscript contained numerous classified information, some of which were classified as "top secret", the National Security Council wrote in a letter to Bolton's lawyer.

"The manuscript must not be published or otherwise published without deletion of these classified information." It must be ensured that the book does not harm the "national security" of the United States.

Update from Wednesday, January 29, 2020, 6:30 a.m .: Is Donald Trump in trouble again? Up until now it looked as if the impeachment process should come to an end quickly, but now the wind seems to be turning a little. Because hearing witnesses is becoming more and more likely. The Republicans are said to be unable to prevent the subpoena. There is currently no sufficient majority in the Senate to block Democrats' requests, Republican majority leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday night media reports.

In a confidential meeting with republican senators, McConnell is said not to have ruled out that the majority of 51 senators needed to be reached by Friday's vote, as reported by the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, among others. The White House and the leadership of Republicans in the Senate want to prevent the summonsing of witnesses and the request for documents because the trial would drag on for several weeks - and the United States will vote in November. The Democrats, in turn, hope to gain additional incriminating material against Trump with new testimonies and documents. They are particularly interested in an interrogation of the former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who could heavily burden Trump in the Ukraine affair.

Impeachment proceedings against Trump: defense lawyers complete pleadings

On Tuesday, Trump's defense lawyers closed their pleadings after three days and urged the senators to dismiss the charges against the president quickly and with no ifs or buts. White House legal chief Pat Cipollone compared impeachment to a coup just a few months before the November presidential election. "It would change our country dangerously and weaken our democratic institutions forever," said Cipollone. The impeachment corresponded to massive election manipulation, he said. "The Senate must not allow that," said Cipollone. The process must be ended "as soon as possible," said Cipollone.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the senators can write questions to the prosecutors and defense lawyers. These should then be answered in a maximum of five minutes each, said Supreme Judge John Roberts, who presides over the proceedings in the Chamber of Parliament. Only after the two days reserved for questions will there be a vote on the possible hearing of witnesses. Should this not happen, the Republican-controlled Senate could theoretically dismiss Trump's charges on Friday evening.

Impeachment process: Trump lawyers attack Biden

Update of Tuesday, January 28, 2020, 7:25 a.m .: In impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump , the defenders have started a frontal counterattack and attacked former Vice President Joe Biden because of his role in the Ukraine affair . Trump's lawyer Pam Bondi said Monday before the US Senate that Biden's son Hunter had collected "million" dollars for his former job with the Ukrainian gas company Burisma, while his father was responsible for Ukraine policy as Vice President.

The lawyer quoted a former State Department employee as saying that Hunter Biden's work could have given the “impression of conflict of interest”.

Biden has a good chance of being nominated by the Democrats to challenge Trump in the November election.

The president's lawyers described it as legitimate in Monday's Senate session that Trump wanted to trace Hunter Biden's work for Burisma. The Biden son had "no expertise or experience in the natural gas industry," said lawyer Eric Herschmann. His only "qualification" was that he was the son of the man responsible for US Ukraine policy.

However, neither the Ukrainian nor the U.S. judiciary has provided any evidence that Joe Biden or his son may have broken the law.

Update from Monday, January 27, 2020, 5:05 p.m .: The explosive testimony of the national security adviser, John Bolton, brings new movement in the impeachment procedure against Donald Trump. Bolton's statement that the president wanted to hold military aid to Ukraine until Kiev launched an investigation into Joe Biden. contradicts a central argument of Trump and his defense team. They insist that the president did not tie the investigation to military aid to Ukraine. Trump wrote on Twitter that he had never told Bolton about an alleged connection of this kind. "If John Bolton said that, it was only to sell a book."

I NEVER told John Bolton that the aid to Ukraine was tied to investigations into Democrats, including the Bidens. In fact, he never complained about this at the time of his very public termination. If John Bolton said this, it was only to sell a book. With that being said, the ...

The explosive extracts from Bolton's book manuscript come at a delicate time. This week, the Senate should decide in the trial whether new witnesses should be summoned to the chamber. The Democrats have been demanding this for weeks - including the questioning of Bolton. So far, however, they have failed on the question of the majority of Trumps Republicans in the Senate.

The Democrats would have to have four Republican senators on their side to get a majority to call witnesses. The Bolton information could make some Republicans think and increase the pressure on them to admit witnesses. Individual Republicans had previously indicated that the question was still undecided.

Democratic minority leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, warned on Twitter that it was up to four Republicans in the Senate to ensure that Bolton and other witnesses were heard with direct knowledge of the proceedings.

John Bolton has the evidence.

It's up to four Senate Republicans to ensure that John Bolton, Mick Mulvaney, and the others with direct knowledge of President Trump's actions testify in the Senate trial.https: //t.co/JbazBaYdRU

Ex-security advisor Bolton puts a heavy burden on Trump

Update of Monday, January 27, 2020, 7:45 a.m .: It is an explosive disclosure in the midst of impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump : According to a media report in a book manuscript, former National Security Advisor John Bolton is heavily burdening the President in the Ukraine affair. The New York Times reported on Sunday (local time) that, according to Bolton, Trump actually linked $ 391 million in military aid to Kiev on investigations into US presidential applicant Joe Biden.

Accordingly, the US President told his security advisor at the time last August that the money should remain frozen until Ukraine helps him with the investigation against the former Vice President. This would confirm the central allegation against Trump in the Ukraine affair - and contradict the President's defense strategy.

The President blocked our request for Bolton's testimony.

Now we see why:

Bolton directly contradicts the heart of the President's defense.

If the trial is to be fair, Senators must insist that Mr. Bolton be called as a witness, and provide his notes and other documents. https://t.co/go9DJdRDEf

In view of the newspaper report, the Democrats immediately requested that Bolton be summoned as a witness in the ongoing impeachment process in the Senate. Trump blocked a testimony from Bolton during the investigation into the Ukraine affair in the House of Representatives, accused Adam Schiff wrote in the short message service Twitter. "Now we see why: Bolton directly contradicts the core of the President's defense."

Update from Sunday, January 26, 2020, 5:15 p.m .: US President Donald Trump sharply attacked the head of the indictment team against him, Adam Schiff. He insulted him as corrupt and indicated that Schiff had to pay a "price" for his behavior. Trump wrote on Twitter on Sunday that Schiff was a "corrupt politician and probably a very sick man". Trump continued: "He has not yet paid the price for what he did to our country!"

Schiff rated this in an interview with NBC on Sunday as an attempt at intimidation. When asked whether he saw the tweet as a threat, the democrat said: "I think it's meant that."

Shifty Adam Schiff is a CORRUPT POLITICIAN, and probably a very sick man. He has not paid the price, yet, for what he has done to our country!

As chairman of the House Secret Service Committee, Schiff has steered the impeachment investigation against Trump in recent months. Now he leads the indictment team in the impeachment proceedings against Trump in the Senate. The US President has regularly insulted and ridiculed Schiff in recent months and demanded his resignation.

Update from Sunday, January 26, 2020, 7.30 a.m .: On Saturday, it was the defenders' turn for the first time in the impeachment procedure against Donald Trump. What they had to say was not surprising. A look at the facts shows that the president "did absolutely nothing wrong," said Pat Cipollone , who was very verbose at all. The head of the defense team said it would be a "totally irresponsible abuse of power" if the Senate followed the House of Representatives and voted to be removed from office.

"They demand to drop the president without the slightest evidence," Cipollone said. "They are calling on you to tear up all the ballot papers in this country," he added to the senators, referring to Trump's election victory in 2016. And because he was in such a good mood, he called the process "the greatest interference in a choice in American history".

Democrats accuse Trump of urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj to investigate Joe Biden on a phone call to influence the 2020 U.S. presidential election in his favor. They see it as proven that Trump has made the announcement of such investigations dependent on the release of military aid to Kiev and a meeting with Selensky in the White House. When that came out, Trump did everything he could to block the House investigation.

Mike Purpura , one of the president's legal advisers, took the minutes of the call as evidence that the president was in no way tied to military assistance or a White House meeting. The Ukrainian leadership itself has repeatedly stressed that no pressure has been put on it. There was also not a single witness who testified that the president himself identified a connection between the investigation and military aid or a meeting with Selenskyj.

The lawyer went on to say that only weeks after the telephone call between Trump and Selenskyj did Kiev become aware that military aid had been stopped for the time being. Trump temporarily withheld the money only because he was concerned about corruption in Ukraine and because he believed the country had received unfair international support. The President also addressed these issues openly in the telephone call. On the other hand, he did not mention US military aid to Ukraine. Financial support to Kiev finally flowed in September. Purpura emphasized that the president had acted in the national interest at all times and had taken his oath of office.

Adam Schiff , on the other hand, said it was not surprising that consideration for the investigation was not explicitly mentioned in the phone call. "As if you would expect two heads of government to talk on the phone about how exactly the bribe should work," the prosecution team leader scoffed. That doesn't even work in organized crime. Nobody should be surprised that Kiev did not publicly denounce pressure from Washington. "As if a country that was totally dependent on us admitted that it was under pressure."

Trump himself wrote after the defenders' appearance on Twitter that every fair observer of the presentation could see how unfairly he had been treated by the Democrats in the process. The whole thing is a party-politically motivated hoax. The defense pleadings will continue on Monday (7:00 p.m. CET).

Any fair minded person watching the Senate trial today would be able to see how unfairly I have been treated and that this is indeed the totally partisan Impeachment Hoax that EVERYBODY, including the Democrats, truly knows it is. This should never be allowed to happen again!

Impeachment process: Democrat attacks Trump: "He is a dictator"

Update from Saturday, January 25, 2020, 7.40 a.m .: The Democrats want to remove Donald Trump from office. In view of the majority in the US Senate, this will certainly not succeed. Nevertheless, they take the opportunity to sharply attack the US president. Now one of the prosecutors has referred to Trump in the Senate as a "dictator". Trump wants to be "almighty," said Jerry Nadler, chairman of the House Justice Committee. The president did not feel obliged to respect the Congress and the deputies. "Only his will counts," complained Nadler. "He is a dictator." This should not be accepted. Trump must be removed from office.

Meanwhile, Adam Schiff, chairman of the House Secret Service Committee and head of the prosecution team, accused Trump of not ceasing to abuse his power unless he was stopped and removed from office. In a pointed appearance, Schiff used the tactic of anticipating Trump's team's anticipated defense strategy - and to refute it. He said the defense lawyers would certainly try to attack the procedure, arguing that the Republicans could not have called witnesses and that Trump had been unable to present his view. None of that is true.

Trump's team would certainly also attack the prosecutors, "especially this type of ship." All of that is just a distraction. Schiff again urged fair trial with new documents and witnesses in the Senate. He warned that the world looked up to America, its democracy and the rule of law. To the senators, he said, "I implore you: give America a fair trial."

The President and his Republicans criticized the prosecutors' plea. The Democrats just kept repeating the "same old stuff in the impeachment fraud," Trump wrote on Twitter on Friday.

The Do Nothing Democrats just keep repeating and repeating, over and over again, the same old “stuff” on the Impeachment Hoax. They want to use up ALL of their time, even though it is the wrong thing to do. They ought to go back to work for our great American people!

Now it's the turn of the defenders. Three hours are initially scheduled for their presentation today. The meetings of the past few days had been much longer. Jay Sekulow, one of Trump's personal lawyers and co-leader of his defense team, announced his fellow campaigners and he just wanted to “preview” and then deliver their full presentation early next week.

Impeachment process: no crime, no charge?

Update from Thursday, January 23, 2020, 9.40 p.m .: In the impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump, the democratic prosecutors dealt with a key defense argument on Thursday. Democratic MP Jerry Nadler disagreed with Trump's lawyers that the allegation of abuse of office was not a sufficient reason to impeachment. The defense's argument that the president must have committed a US criminal crime to be removed from office was " completely wrong, ”said Nadler.

The Clinton method is cited as an example

Constitutional lawyers agree on these issues, said the chairman of the House Justice Committee. The fathers of the constitution in the 18th century saw abuse of power as one of the main reasons for impeachment. "Put simply, impeachment is the constitution's last answer to a president who thinks he's a king," said Nadler.

There can also be no doubt that a statutory offense is not a prerequisite for impeachment, said Nadler. He cited texts by the constitutional authors, assessments by constitutional lawyers and US judges, and earlier impeachment procedures such as the one against the then President Bill Clinton in the late 1990s.

At that time, even Trump's lawyer Alan Dershowitz had argued that a crime was not a prerequisite for impeachment. Nadler presented a video with the statement on Thursday in the Senate. Dershowitz has now distanced himself from his earlier statement by saying that he has now dealt with the question in more detail and is now "much more correct" than it was then.

The background to the dispute is the vague wording in the US Constitution when impeachment against the President is possible. They are called "treason, bribery or other high crimes and offenses".

In the impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump, the democratic prosecutors are currently presenting their evidence against the president. Trump's defenders should be on the move from Saturday.

Update from Wednesday, January 22, 2020, 6.10 p.m .: Donald Trump is known for his pithy sayings. Even with the impeachment procedure, he does not keep his opinion behind the mountain. He believes the prosecutors from the US House of Representatives are "big bastards" and "very dishonest people". That also seems to be the reason why he would like to closely follow the impeachment proceedings in the US Senate.

"I would like to go if it were not great, if it would not be nice," Trump said at a press conference in Davos when asked a reporter whether he would show up at some point in the negotiations. "I would somehow like to sit directly in the front row and stare at their depraved faces." However, Trump made it clear that he did not believe that his defenders wanted him there.

The question is anyway what Trump wants there, otherwise he describes the impeachment procedure only as "greatest witch hunt" and "kidding". All he does, according to Trump, "is that I make great deals for our country." The Democrats had nothing against him.

Trump impeachment: Democrats call the process a “farce”

Update from Wednesday, January 22, 2020, 8:10 a.m .: After an almost 13-hour debate, the Senate has determined the procedure for the impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump. The Chamber of Congress passed a Wednesday night (local time) majority of Republicans with a procedural resolution passed by Republican majority leader Mitch McConnell.

Accordingly, the prosecutors and the defense are each given up to 24 hours over three days to make their opening pleadings. Then the senators should be given the opportunity to ask questions in writing. Only then - in the coming week - should the Senate decide whether or not to summon witnesses.

Update from Wednesday, January 22, 2020, 7:35 a.m .: It started more than slowly : The debate about the procedure for impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump in the US Senate has developed into a formal exchange of blows between Democrats and Republicans. After a more than eleven-hour session of the Chamber, there was still no foreseeable vote on a procedural resolution brought in by Republican majority leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday night (local time). The Democrats tried to make changes with various motions, but failed repeatedly due to the majority of Trumps Republicans in the chamber.

The resolution proposed by McConnell provides that the prosecutors and the defense each have up to 24 hours over three days to make their opening statements. Then the senators should be given the opportunity to ask questions in writing. Only then - in the coming week - should the Senate decide whether witnesses should be summoned or not.

Democrats want to invite witnesses

Democrats tabled various amendments at the meeting for hours to ensure, among other things, that the Senate preloaded witnesses - including Trump's chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, and former national security advisor, John Bolton. In addition, they wanted to enforce further requests that the chamber request numerous documents for the procedure in advance - including from the White House, the U.S. State Department and the Pentagon.

Adam Schiff, the chairman of the secret service committee in the House of Representatives and head of the team of seven democratic prosecutors, warned that without documents and testimony, the procedure in the Senate is not a real process and nothing but a "farce".

There was a long debate and individual vote on each of the Democrats' motions. The Republicans, however, all fended off these advances with a majority in the Chamber - each time closed with the votes of all 53 Republicans out of a total of 100 senators. McConnell repeatedly argued that a decision would later be made on the possible summons of witnesses.

He called on the Democrats late on Tuesday evening (local time) to collectively vote on the motions and thus speed things up. The Democrats, however, rejected this request. So the session dragged on for a long time.

Update from Tuesday, January 21, 2020, 8:25 p.m .: The fronts in the impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump have hardened. On one side are the Democrats, on the other the Republicans. A neutral assessment of the situation hardly seems possible, especially not in the US Senate. There the debate started with a violent argument about the procedural rules. Democratic prosecutor Adam Schiff accused Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell of wanting to prevent a "fair trial". A trial without testimony and without an evaluation of government documents previously held back would be a “farce”.

The Republicans wanted to "cover up" Trump's misconduct and get the process quickly across the stage, Schiff said. The White House legal adviser, Pat Cipollone, firmly rejected this. A resolution submitted by McConnell establishes a "fair way" for the process to proceed, said the lawyer who leads Trump's lawyers' team in the impeachment process.

Cipollone criticized the charges against the president as not only "ridiculous" but "dangerous to our republic". The Democrats aim to prevent Trump from being re-elected in the November presidential election.

Impeachment procedure: dispute between Democrats and Republicans

At the heart of the dispute is a resolution submitted by McConnell to determine the process. The text provides for high hurdles for a summoning of witnesses requested by the Democrats as well as for access to government documents previously held back; in addition, the question should only be decided at a later date. Cipollone and McConnell argue that the rules are based on those imposed in 1999 on impeachment against then President Bill Clinton over his affair with intern Monica Lewinsky.

Democratic Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer described the Republican approach as "national disgrace." He initially submitted an application to request government documents on the Ukraine affair previously held back by the Trump administration.

At the end of the process, the resolution stipulates that the prosecution and defense each have 24 hours to present their arguments. While this should initially be limited to two days, three days are now planned. The senators should then be given 16 hours to write questions to the defense and prosecution. Only then should the question of additional evidence - i.e. testimonies and government documents - be dealt with. The Democrats demand, among other things, a subpoena from Trump's chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, and former national security advisor John Bolton.

The Democrats fear that the Republicans will prevent all of this with their Senate majority. The Republicans represent 53 of the 100 senators and can thus determine the procedural rules.

Impeachment: Trump's lawyers call for acquittal - marathon sessions threaten

Update from Tuesday, January 21, 2020, 6:15 a.m .: The Senate will meet today at 1:00 p.m. (local time / 7:00 p.m. CET). Then procedural questions have to be clarified. A prepared resolution by the leading Republican in the Chamber, Mitch McConnell, provides 24 hours for the opening pleadings of both the prosecutors and the defense - spread over two days each. This could result in 12-hour marathon sessions in the first few days of the procedure.The resolution is expected to be voted on Tuesday today.

Donald Trump: when will the Senate take a decision on impeachment?

It is completely unclear. It will also depend on whether new witnesses are heard or not. Republicans and Democrats have been arguing about this for weeks. The Democrats insist that witnesses be loaded and documents requested that could burden or relieve Trump. The Republicans present the demand as evidence that the Democrats are not as sure of themselves as they always claim. The Democrats are now displeased that a vote on whether to load witnesses or request documents should take place later in the process. If the Senate votes in favor, both sides should be able to propose witnesses over which the Senators would then have to vote again. At least that's what the proposed procedural rules provide.

What is Donald Trump doing?

The president is looking for the global spotlight. On Tuesday, he officially opened the 50th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, with a speech. There, as usual, he should present himself as a masterful driver of economic activity with reference to stock exchange records and the low unemployment rate in the USA. Trump angered the impeachment process enormously. He does not have to fear impeachment because of the Republican majority in the Senate. The procedure is always a flaw.

Update of Monday, January 20, 2020, 7.30 p.m .: In the impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump, his lawyers have asked the Senate to acquit the head of state "immediately". The trial was a "dangerous distortion" of the US constitution, Trump's lawyers wrote in a 171-page brief that they submitted to the Chamber of Congress. "The Senate must reject the indictment and immediately acquit the president," they said. "The charges themselves - and the tailor-made process that got us to this point - are an outrageous political act by the Democrats in the House of Representatives that must be rejected."

This is how the impeachment procedure against Donald Trump works

Update from Monday, January 20, 2020, 7:00 a.m .: Many questions regarding the course of the impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump are still open. However, the process should largely be based on the impeachment procedure against the then President Bill Clinton in 1999.

The rules for the progress of the process are to be laid down in a resolution on Tuesday. Republican majority leader Mitch McConnell has announced that the trial will be "very" similar to the Clinton impeachment case over his affair with intern Monica Lewinsky.

In 1999, the Senate prosecution and defense were given three days each to present their arguments. The senators were then able to submit questions to the prosecution and defense - in writing, mind you. They were then read out by the presiding judge. The senators are not allowed to speak or use cell phones during public hearings. The public should be excluded for parts of the process.

Judge Roberts presides over the procedure, but the central decisions are made by the 100 senators themselves. Trump can count on the majority of his Republicans: the Conservatives provide 53 senators, the Democrats 47. A procedural majority requires 51 senators, for impeachment, a two-thirds majority of 67 senators.

Donald Trump: Prominent reinforcement for his team of lawyers in the impeachment process

Update from Saturday, 7:15 a.m .: Donald Trump is basically not aware of any guilt. Nevertheless, the US President has once again strengthened his team of lawyers in the impeachment process: US star lawyer Alan Dershowitz and former Clinton special investigator Kenneth Starr join the President's defense, according to the White House.

Dershowitz is one of the best known celebrity lawyers in the United States. The emeritus Harvard professor defended the former football star OJ Simpson, who was charged with murder, as one of several lawyers and was acquitted. His clients included boxing legend Mike Tyson and director Roman Polanski.

Dershowitz hit the headlines as a lawyer for the US millionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who was charged with numerous sex crimes. He helped ensure that Epstein only served a 13-month prison sentence in 2008 after being convicted of sexual abuse of underage girls. Dershowitz himself is accused of sex with a minor. The 81-year-old has firmly rejected this.

Donald Trump and his new lawyer Alan Dershowitz (archive picture)

© AFP / mark Wilson

Dershowitz said on Friday that his participation in impeachment proceedings against Trump was not about party politics. But he wanted to defend the "integrity of the constitution" and prevent a "dangerous precedent" from being created.

In the 1990s, Starr had investigated the affair between President Bill Clinton and intern Monica Lewinsky as a special investigator. The impeachment process against the Democrats in 1999 finally failed. In conservative circles, however, Starr is seen as a hero. Lewinsky commented on Twitter, saying, "Today is clearly a day like, 'Are you kidding me?'"

this is definitely an “are you fucking kidding me?” kinda day.

Trump's team of lawyers is led by White House chief legal advisor Pat Cipollone. The experienced lawyer significantly designed the President's previous defense strategy in the Ukraine affair and relied on a blockade of the House of Representatives' investigation. The descendant of Italian immigrants, a strictly devout Catholic with ten children, is considered to be very discreet and is hardly known to the public.

Along with Cipollone, Trump's personal lawyer Jay Sekulow leads the presidential team in impeachment proceedings, the White House said. He had already represented Trump in the investigation of Russia special investigator Robert Mueller. The Trump team also includes Pam Bondi, ex-Attorney General of the State of Florida, Jane Serene Raskin, Eric D. Herschmann and Robert Ray.

Trump impeachment: Democrats want to hear new witnesses

Update from Friday, January 17, 2020, 6:55 a.m .: At the beginning of the impeachment procedure against US President Donald Trump in the Senate, the Democrats have confirmed their call for the hearing of further witnesses. Chuck Schumer, minority leader of the Democrats in the Senate, said that every senator must now decide whether the procedure should serve to seek the truth or Trump's desire to cover up. "New incriminating information is added every day," affirmed Nancy Pelosi, President of the House of Representatives. Republican senators who refused to listen to new witnesses fear the truth.

Donald Trump himself is probably not very worried. In any case, he made fun of the impeachment on Twitter (in capital letters). He had just been charged - for a perfect phone call.

I JUST GOT IMPEACHED FOR MAKING A PERFECT PHONE CALL!

Impeachment procedure: Historical process has started

Update from Thursday, January 16, 2020, 7:13 p.m .: The impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump began on Thursday with the reading of the indictment. Democratic MP Adam Schiff, who heads the Prosecutor's team, presented the two impeachment charges against Trump in the Ukraine affair to the Senate in Washington : abuse of office and obstruction of Congress.

The column: It's not enough to criticize the US president. A policy for a common world is necessary.

Impeachment process: charges are read out

It is the third impeachment case against a president in US history. "Donald J. Trump has abused the power of the presidency," said Schiff. He urged the government of Ukraine to "interfere" in the next US presidential election, violating his oath of office. He later hindered the House's investigation into the affair. Chief Justice John Roberts is due to be sworn in on Thursday. The Conservative Chairman of the Supreme Court will lead the Senate process. Roberts then swears in the 100 senators who are, in a sense, court and jury in the trial. The content of the allegations against Trump should begin on Tuesday. Monday is a public holiday in the United States.

Donald Trump: Impeachment proceedings have started

Democrats accuse Trump of urging Ukraine to investigate rival Joe Biden , who could challenge him in the November presidential election. The President is said to have withheld a total of $ 391 million in military aid intended for Kiev as a means of pressure. Trump is said to have illegally hindered the House investigation into the affair by blocking testimony and withholding important documents. The House of Representatives controlled by the Democrats therefore decided to impeach Trump before Christmas. The charges were brought to the Senate on Wednesday. In recent weeks and days, new incriminating elements against Trump have been added. And just hours before the impeachment process began, the US Congress Court of Auditors ruled that retaining military aid to Ukraine violated the White House.

Trump has rejected the allegations and speaks of a politically motivated "witch hunt" by the Democrats. Given the republican majority in the Senate, impeachment of the president is almost impossible. The conservatives make up 53 of the 100 senators in the upper house. A two-thirds majority would be necessary for impeachment. A president has never been removed from office in US history. The two previous impeachment trials against Andrew Johnson (1868) and Bill Clinton (1999) failed. President Richard Nixon had preceded an impeachment in the Watergate affair in 1974 by resigning. (with dpa)

Trump impeachment: has a congressional worker illegally monitored the former U.S. ambassador?

Updated on Thursday, 01.16.2020, 15:18: The Ukraine has an investigation regarding a possible illegal surveillance of the former US Ambassador Maria Yovanovitch initiated. The police said on Thursday whether the Ukrainian or international law protecting diplomats had been violated, the authorities said. At the same time, it is not excluded that this could have been "bragging or misinformation" in an informal conversation between two US citizens. The Washington Post had previously published a chat conversation that may indicate that a Republican Party congressional candidate had intercepted and monitored former Ukraine ambassador Maria Yovanovitch.

Donald Trump: Investigation is related to impeachment

In parallel, the Ukrainian cyber police is investigating another case that could be related to this. This is about the alleged attempt by a Russian secret service to hack the mail server of the gas company Burisma . Both proceedings are related to the impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump . He is said to have put pressure on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj in a telephone conversation. Kiev should therefore resume investigations into corruption against the son of the possible candidate for the Democratic Party, Joseph Biden . Hunter Biden was a Burisma board member between 2014 and 2019. The US presidential election is scheduled for November this year.

First report from Thursday, January 16, 2020, 1:59 p.m .: Washington - Shortly before the start of the impeachment proceedings against US President Donald Trump , a business partner of his lawyer Rudy Giuliani confirmed the allegations in the Ukraine affair. Ukrainian-born US citizen Lev Parnas said in an interview with the TV station "MSNBC": "President Trump knew exactly what was going on."

Trump's impeachment case: allegations in Ukraine affair

"He was aware of all my movements. I would not have done anything without the consent of Rudy Giuliani or the President, ”he said. Parnas is said to have worked with Giuliani in the Ukraine affair .

So now Devin Nunes is admitting he talked to Lev Parnas ... He claims when he was asked a few months back, he didn't recognize the name Parnas pic.twitter.com/3dgoGfsKFd

On Tuesday evening, the US Democrats published documents that Giuliani, together with Parna, was exerting pressure on Kiev to launch an investigation into Democratic US presidential candidate Joe Biden. They are said to have tried with Ukrainian representatives to chase the US Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch out of office. Eventually, she was recalled by Trump .

Impeachment proceedings against Trump begin - what is happening now

The impeachment procedure against Trump will begin on Thursday (January 16, 2020) . The House of Representatives had already handed over the indictment against Trump to the Senate in a solemn ceremony on Wednesday. First of all there will be procedural steps like reading the indictment (6 p.m. CET) before the process really starts on Tuesday (21.01.2020).

It is Trump only the third US president in history, the impeachment process is exposed. The fact that the president is actually relieved of his office is considered out of the question. Because: In the Senate, Trumps Republicans have a majority of 53 of the 100 senators. In order to enforce impeachment, a two-thirds majority was needed. A majority of US citizens also believe that Donald Trump will be re-elected.

The allegations in the impeachment case against Trump in the Ukraine affair

Trump is accused of abuse of office and a disability of Congress in the Ukraine affair . The US president had asked Kiev to investigate Joe Biden. The Democrat could challenge Trump in the November presidential election. Trump apparently held back $ 391 million in military aid to Ukraine as a means of pressure.

Impeachment process: Mitch McConnell plays a crucial role

Mitch McConnell plays a crucial role in the impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump. The Republican majority leader in the Senate makes no secret of how he sees his role. "I'm not an impartial jury," says the 77-year-old political veteran, who even promised "full coordination" with the White House. What does that mean in plain text? That McConnell will do his utmost for the President in the impeachment process.

While US Supreme Court Justice John Roberts will preside over the trial, McConnell is the real boss of the majority: Senators vote on procedural issues - and ultimately impeachment. Even if the Kentucky state senator is not an unconditional defender of the president, it is clear to everyone involved that he will also exercise his power.

Impeachment times weld together. McConnell is expected to be the President's prime cleaner during the impeachment process. McConnell has already predicted the outcome of the trial: "The likelihood that the President of the Office will be removed is zero."

Which impeachment procedures have already been used?

An US president has never lost his office through impeachment. At least the Americans tried twice:

Impeachment proceedings against Andrew Johnson (1868): Here it was very scarce, in the end only one vote was missing to remove the successor to the office of the murdered Abraham Lincoln. Proceedings against Johnson had been initiated for suspending Secretary of War Edwin Stanton without Senate approval and replacing it with Lorenzo Thomas. At that time, a law stipulated that ministers were only allowed to dismiss ministers with the consent of parliament.

Impeachment proceedings against Bill Clinton (1999): The Monica Lewinsky affair almost led to the fall of Bill Clinton. The allegations against Clinton were perjury and disability of the judiciary. Why perjury? Because he had sworn under oath that he had no sexual relationship with his intern at the time - a rather questionable statement. Here, too, the result was scarce. The Senate rejected the allegation of perjury with 55 to 45 votes, but on the issue of disability of the judiciary, the vote ended with a stalemate of 50 to 50 votes.

The first area code in Iowa will send out a signal. Who will vote for the Democrats against US President Donald Trump?