Washington-SANA
The US House of Representatives handed over to the Senate the indictment of former President Donald Trump in a step that officially marks the start of his historic trial as part of an impeachment mechanism for accusing him of “inciting rebellion” against the backdrop of the violence witnessed by the Congress headquarters when his supporters stormed him at the instigation of him on January 6.
"Donald John Trump was involved in major crimes and misdemeanors by inciting violence against the United States government," Reuters quoted the Director of Accountability in the House of Representatives Representative Jimmy Ruskin as saying upon the arrival of the representatives to the Senate.
He added that Trump "incited violence and exposed the security of the United States and its institutions to severe danger," referring in particular to the "wrong statements" made by the former president in which he denied the victory of his opponent, Joe Biden, in the presidential elections that took place last November.
Nine members of the House of Representatives who will represent the prosecution at Trump's trial, accompanied by the House clerk and the Acting Chief of Guard, have submitted the indictment to the Senate.
Trump is accused of inciting his supporters to attack the Congress headquarters at a time when its members believed Biden won the presidency, saying, prior to the attack that left five people dead, "You will never take back your country if you are weak .. you must show strength and be strong."
Ten Republicans in the House of Representatives joined the Democrats in the vote to impeach Trump, but the Democrats in the Senate will have to enlist the support of 17 Republicans to get him convicted in the bipartisan assembly.
It is expected that the Senate will begin the trial of Trump on February 9, in the clause of his impeachment, and the 100 members of the Senate are scheduled to serve as jurors in the trial that may lead to Trump's ineligibility to run for the presidency again.
It is noteworthy that Supreme Court President John Roberts presided over Trump's first impeachment in the Senate when the Republicans who controlled the House at the time acquitted him in February of accusations of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress after his request from Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son.
Trump is the first US president to face a parliamentary trial for the second time during his term.
