One of the Democratic leaders responsible for the impeachment sent a letter to Donald Trump and his attorney asking the former Republican president to testify before or during the February 9 Senate session. In a letter, Jimmy Ruskin said that Trump’s attorney – in a decision filed Tuesday – denied the “indisputable facts” that the former president had played a role in the January 6 outbreak of Capitol events. “Since you contest these factual allegations, I am writing to request that you testify under oath, either before or during the hearing of the indictment in the Senate, regarding your actions on January 6, 2021.” Raskin said.
Donald Trump is not obligated to comply with the request, and he must make a decision by Friday noon on whether he wishes to testify under oath.
Before next week’s trial, it was raised that witnesses would also be called during the proceedings. Meanwhile, experts say both Democratic and Republican senators are urging speedy negotiations so that the Senate can work smoothly on the responsibilities of the new government. Some argue that all of this won’t change the bottom line, as the vast majority of Republican senators made it clear last week that they are against a constitutional indictment against Donald Trump. This was demonstrated by the January 26 vote, in which 45 of the 50 Republican lawmakers in the Senate voted that the prosecution process was unconstitutional.
Donald Trump has been accused of inciting the revolt for his fiery speech at a rally before the Capitol attack in early January, after which his followers stormed the Legislature building. Several people were killed in the attack on the Capitol, including a police officer.
If the Senate convicts the former president, he may forfeit the benefits owed to him and may not run again in the presidential election. However, at least 17 Republican politicians in the Senate must support the president’s conviction because the Democrats do not have a sufficient majority to do so.
