Impeachment trial of Donald Trump facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Impeachment trial of Donald Trump |
|
|---|---|
Chief Justice John Roberts presides over the impeachment trial of Donald Trump
|
|
| Accused | Donald Trump |
| Proponents |
|
| Date | January 16, 2020 – February 5, 2020 |
| Charges | |
| Cause | Allegations that Trump sought help from Ukrainian authorities to favor him in the 2020 U.S. presidential election |
The impeachment trial of President Donald Trump was a big event in the United States Senate. It started on January 16, 2020, and finished on February 5, 2020.
This trial happened because the U.S. House of Representatives had already voted to impeach President Donald Trump. This vote took place on December 18, 2019, after an investigation that lasted about two months. The House accused him of two main things: abuse of power and obstructing Congress.
If the Senate had found President Trump guilty, he would have been removed from his job as president. However, on February 5, the Senate voted to acquit him. This means they decided he was not guilty of the charges.
Contents
What happened in January 2020?
After the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump, the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, waited a bit before sending the official charges to the Senate. She wanted to make sure the Senate would have a fair and open trial.
On January 9, 2020, Speaker Pelosi said she would send the charges soon. The Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, expected the trial to begin the next week.
The trial rules were decided on January 21. The Senate voted mostly along party lines to approve Senator McConnell's rules. They also rejected many changes suggested by the Democrats. The team arguing against President Trump presented their case and evidence from January 22 to 24. President Trump's defense team started presenting their arguments on January 25. They mainly argued that there was no direct proof of wrongdoing. They also said that the Democrats were trying to use impeachment to affect the 2020 election. To remove a president from office, two-thirds of the Senate must vote guilty.
Who were the main people in the trial?
The judge in charge
The Chief Justice of the United States, John Roberts, was the person who led the trial in the Senate. The U.S. Constitution says that the Chief Justice must be the presiding officer when a president is on trial for impeachment.
The House managers
The House of Representatives chose a group of lawmakers to act like prosecutors. They were called "House Impeachment Managers." Their job was to present the case against President Trump to the Senate.
- Adam Schiff (Lead manager)
- Jerry Nadler
- Hakeem Jeffries
- Zoe Lofgren
- Val Demings
- Jason Crow
- Sylvia Garcia
.jpg)
The defense team
President Trump had a team of lawyers and other people who defended him during the trial. This team was led by White House Counsel Pat Cipollone and Jay Sekulow. Other important members included Ken Starr, Alan Dershowitz, and Pam Bondi.
Several Republican members of the House of Representatives also joined President Trump's defense team.
-
Pat Cipollone
-
Jay Sekulow
-
Jane Raskin
-
Eric Herschmann
-
Patrick Philbin
-
Mike Purpura
-
Debbie Lesko
.jpg)
_(cropped).jpg)
.jpg)
Were there any witnesses?
Many people wanted to speak and share information during the trial. These people are called witnesses. The Senate had to vote on whether to allow witnesses to testify. To allow witnesses, 51 votes were needed.
There were 47 Democrats and 53 Republicans in the Senate at the time. All the Democrats voted to allow witnesses. Two Republicans, Mitt Romney from Utah and Susan Collins from Maine, also voted to allow witnesses. However, this was not enough votes, so no witnesses were allowed to testify in the trial.
What was the Senate's decision?
On February 5, 2020, the Senate voted to acquit President Trump on both charges. This means he was found not guilty.
For the first charge, "abuse of power," the vote was 52 votes to acquit and 48 votes to convict. For the second charge, "obstruction of Congress," the vote was 53 votes to acquit and 47 votes to convict.
All Democrats and the two independent senators voted to convict President Trump on both charges. Only one Republican, Senator Mitt Romney, voted to convict on the "abuse of power" charge. All other Republicans voted to acquit on both charges.
See also
In Spanish: Proceso de destitución de Donald Trump para niños
