Trump refuses to testify in his impeachment 0:48
(CNN) -
The second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump in the Senate will begin this Tuesday.
There are some key questions about the trial itself that remain unanswered: how long will it last?
Will witnesses be called?
The final outcome of the trial does not appear to be in doubt: Trump will be acquitted by the Senate for a second time, well below two-thirds of the votes required for conviction.
But that doesn't mean that next week, and possibly the next two weeks, they won't have their dose of drama as House impeachment managers recount the destruction caused in the deadly January 6 riot and argue that Trump was the one who incited. the insurgents to loot the US Capitol.
LOOK: Trump quickly rejects the request to testify in his impeachment made by prosecutors
House Democrats requested testimony from Trump himself at trial Thursday, a move that was quickly rejected by Trump's legal team.
Democrats are unlikely to cite the former president and risk a protracted legal battle, as they feel they can argue that he incited the rioters without his testimony, just as they quickly charged him with "inciting insurrection" a week later. of the riots January 6.
But the Democrats' brief attempt to get Trump to testify underscores the logistical hurdles Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell still have to face for the first step of the second trial. Trump politician: his rules.
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Senate wants Trump's second speedy trial to be swift
Schumer and McConnell and their advisers have been involved in extensive discussions about the trial organization resolution, which the Senate will pass before the discussions begin.
Unlike last year's trial, both sides hope to reach a bipartisan agreement on the parameters of the trial, which will stipulate, for example, how long the impeachment managers and defense team can speak, how witnesses might be called. and other matters.
There is reason for bipartisan optimism in the Senate, at least when it comes to logistics, because both sides are seeking a speedy trial.
While House impeachment managers are considering a procedure that could last up to two weeks, some Senate Democrats are pushing for a faster time frame.
LOOK: Democrats indicate that they do not need Trump's testimony to argue the case in impeachment
The reason is simple.
Senate Democrats are diving into their effort to pass President Joe Biden's $ 1.9 trillion stimulus plan, a high-level act that will require all Senate Democrats to stay on board.
Additionally, Biden still has a list of nominees that needs to be confirmed by the Senate.
And none of that can happen until Trump's second impeachment trial is over.
While Republicans are in no rush to confirm Biden's cabinet, they also don't want the public to remain obsessed with the events of January 6 - and the former president - in a lengthy trial.
The expectation of all parties is that Trump's second impeachment trial will be shorter than the first, which lasted three weeks.
How much shorter is still being negotiated.
Schumer's office said Saturday night that the Senate will accept a request from one of Trump's impeachment attorneys, David Schoen, to stop the trial on the Sabbath.
This would mean that the trial would be adjourned at sunset on Friday and would not meet again until Sunday.
“We respect your request and will, of course, accommodate it.
Discussions with relevant parties regarding the structure of the trial continue, ”said Justin Goodman, a spokesman for Schumer.
This is how the second impeachment trial of Trump 2:55 would work
There should be an agreement between the senators to hold the trial on a Sunday.
The New York Times first reported on this development.
As president pro tempore of the Senate, the oldest senator in the majority party, Senator Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont, is presiding over Trump's second impeachment in place of Chief Justice John Roberts.
Roberts, who oversaw Trump's first impeachment trial, chose not to oversee the proceedings because Trump is no longer in office, Schumer said.
Republican Senators Forecast Trial Vote
When Senator Rand Paul forced a vote on the constitutionality of Trump's impeachment last month, arguing that it was unconstitutional to convict a former president, only five Republicans joined all Democrats in overriding the Kentucky Republican's motion.
It was an eye-opening vote as Democrats will need at least 17 Republican senators to vote to convict Trump and bar him from running for future office.
Many Democrats and Republicans alike have pointed to Paul's proposed vote as an indicator of what the final trial vote is likely to look like.
And Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell sided with Paul in the vote, suggesting that his initial signs that he might be open to condemning Trump likely won't lead him to vote that way.
Donald Trump Impeachment