(CNN) – The prosecutors of the Chamber read the articles of political judgment on the floor of the Senate. It was part of many ceremonial things that happened this Thursday and to start the trial.
Senators sat in silence while the president of the House of Representatives Intelligence Commission, Adam Schiff, read the trial charges aloud political against President Trump.
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Members had been instructed that electronic devices would not be allowed in the chamber during political trial proceedings and, although Republican Senator Jerry Moran dropped his cell phone at the beginning just before the House managers entered, they were not detected. cell phones once the filing of charges began.
Instead, most senators watched with their hands crossed in their laps. Some could be seen taking notes, including Senators Bill Cassidy, Bernie Sanders, Tina Smith, Amy Klobuchar, Mark Warner, Rob Portman and Kirsten Gillibrand.
Remember: this is the first time that senators can see what it will be like to sit without additional reading or electronic materials and the first time they are forced to sit at their desks without speaking in this process of political trial.
Meanwhile, the other prosecutors in the House kept an eye on while Schiff read the charges.
How did we get here?
It all started after a two and a half month investigation into Trump’s pressure on Ukraine to investigate his 2020 political rival Joe Biden, as well as conspiracy theories about foreign interference in the 2016 presidential elections.
The Intelligence Commission of the House of Representatives held several hearings that had the testimony of numerous career diplomats who supported this idea, which was also essential for an anonymous report of informants who initiated the investigation in the first place.
Trump denies the accusations, although his interim cabinet chief admitted it. And obtaining the investigations was a clear objective of Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani.
The investigation culminated in a political vote against Trump.
On December 18, the Chamber voted 230-197 to accuse Trump of abuse of power and 229-198 to accuse him of obstructing Congress.
With that vote, Trump became the third president in history to be accused.
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