US President Donald Trump's is inching closer to his judgement day, as the Senate will begin his impeachment trial on Tuesday. And it will finally be known whether or not Trump will be found guilty of the charges he is being impeached for.
The third president to be impeached after Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton, Trump has been dramatic through the process from writing a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to stop impeachment to calling the whole process a witch hunt and tweeting arguments that support him.
While his impeachment order will be called to order in the Senate, Trump will not be watching from inside the chamber or on television from the White House. He will be in Switzerland at the Davos Economic forum charming global CEOs over dinner.
His two-day visit to Switzerland will test his ability to balance his anger over being impeached with a desire to project leadership on the world stage.
"The president's work doesn't stop just because of the impeachment sham, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in an email.
The impeachment takes place four months after the Ukraine scandal exploded and 10 months before Americans go to the polls to decide whether to re-elect him. 100 members of the Senate will gather at 1 PM (1800 GMT) with chief justice John Roberts presiding over the trial.
On Monday, Trump's lawyers released their brief urging the Senate to “speedily reject these deficient Articles of Impeachment and acquit the President.”
Trump, who departs Washington on Monday night, said he's going to Davos to encourage businesses to invest in the US.
Trump is making a second appearance at the annual Swiss economic forum and is scheduled to arrive at the ski resort early Tuesday and jet back on Wednesday to Washington. He is expected to give a speech at the forum. Trump, while at Davos will be meeting leaders from nations like Iraq, Pakistan, Switzerland and Iraq's self-governing Kurdish region, as well as the forum's founder. Trump will also with the new European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, the first woman to hold the position.
Will new witnesses be allowed?
Senator Mitch Connell laid drafted rules that will govern the trial. And in a nutshell, it reads, if the Senate votes no, no one will be permitted to call for new witnesses or documents. And if the Senate votes yes, both sides will have an opportunity to motion to subpoena witnesses, then senators will debate and vote on them.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said McConnell is rushing the trial and also making it harder for witnesses and documents to be presented.
This still allows for Trump's speedy acquittal. With the Democrats coming up with more new material from Lev Parnas on Ukraine, they have insisted that new witnesses should be allowed for the impeachment trial. Lev Parnas is an indicted businessman and former associate of Trump's lawyer Rudy Guiliani.
Among the documents are screenshots of messages sent by Republican congressional candidate Robert Hyde to Parnas from an unknown, number. The messages appear to relay information about the whereabouts of former US Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, who was abruptly removed from her role at Trump's request last May. Parnas also provided Democrats with a trove of documents detailing his and Giuliani’s dealings with Ukrainian officials.
Why did the house impeach Trump?
The Democratic-controlled House argues that it is keeping a check on Trump misusing power, wherein he has and political interests above those of the Nation when he asked Ukraine's president to conduct an inquiry into political rival Joe Biden and his son Hunter for corruption. Trump withheld foreign aid that Congress had approved for the Eastern European nation and dangled the prospect of an Oval Office meeting as leverage in lieu for the findings on Biden and his son.
Trump denies any wrongdoing and argues that Democrats want to remove him from office because they know they can't deny him reelection in November. Trump would be forced to leave office if convicted.
Trump looks almost certain to be acquitted because of the 53-47 Republican majority in the Senate.
