Nine members of Congress, appointed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, will soon walk through the Capitol and deliver the article of dismissal against former President Trump in the Senate. These members, known as the dismissal managers, will prosecute the case against the former president in the Senate.
Pelosi said the House will officially send the indictment against Mr. Trump to the Senate on Monday. “We are respectful of the Senate’s constitutional power over the process and we are always attentive to the justice of the process, noting that the former president will have had the same time to prepare for the trial as our directors,” Pelosi said in a statement Saturday “Our directors are ready to begin filing their case before 100 members of the Senate during the trial process.”
The House voted Jan. 13 to charge Mr. Trump with the indictment of insurrection, just a week after a crowd of supporters of the president stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attack that left five people dead .
The group of Democrats, who all have experience in law, will be led by the Congressman Jamie Raskin, who is a Maryland attorney. Raskin will read Monday night the only indictment article against Trump on the Senate floor.
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“Donald John Trump, therefore, warrants dismissal and trial, dismissal from office, and disqualification from exercising and enjoying any office of honor, trust, or benefit under the United States,” the dismissal article states. .
None of the prosecutors in this trial argued the case in the first Trump impeachment process, when the Senate acquitted the former president for obstruction of justice and abuse of power. For this year’s trial, Pelosi has selected a diverse group of members of the House, including Congressman Joe Neguse, who will be the youngest indictment manager in U.S. history.
The composition of directors is different from previous Senate tests. In 1999, during the removal of former President Bill Clinton, there were 13 dismissal managers, all of them men and whites. During Trump’s impeachment trial in 2020, Pelosi only appointed seven members led by Congressmen Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and Jerry Nadler, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.
The next trial, which comes about a year after the first process of ousting former President Trump begins the week of February 8th. Democrats will need the 50 senators and 17 Republican senators to cross the aisle to condemn Mr. Trump.
Those responsible for the dismissal will declare that Trump provoked the riot on January 6 to block the certification of the results of the Electoral College.
Jamie Raskin, senior manager
Raskin, a key member of the House Judiciary Committee and the Rules Committee, drafted the indictment article for “incitement to insurrection” along with two other administrators while in his place during the Jan. 6 riot. Recently, the Maryland Democrat introduced a bill on the floor of the House, urging former Vice President Mike Pence to activate the 25th Amendment. Raskin, whose 25-year-old son died in late 2020, said he decided to take a leadership role in this impeachment trial because “I will not lose my son in late 2020 and my country and my republic. in 2021 “. Prior to Congress, Raskin was a senator from the state of Maryland and a professor of constitutional law at the American University of Washington College of Law.
Diana DeGette
Congresswoman Diana DeGette has been a member of Congress representing Colorado for 13 years. This will be his second time participating in a dismissal, as he presided over Trump’s first removal debate in the House. In an interview with CBS Denver, DeGette said that “we have to close this, we have to condemn it and make sure it will never be able to run for office again.” Prior to serving in Congress, DeGette was a civil rights attorney and served two terms in the Colorado House.
David Cicilline
Congressman David Cicilline, a Rhode Island Democrat, is adjusting his approach from adopting big technologies to taking on Mr. Trump as prosecution manager. He was one of three dismissal managers who drafted the dismissal article while a crowd stormed the Capitol. “The president is a clear and current danger to our republic. We will hold him accountable,” Cicilline said in a statement. He is a member of the Judicial Committee of the Chamber and chairs the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law. Prior to serving in Congress, Cicilline was a public defender in the District of Columbia and held various government positions in the state of Rhode Island.
Joaquin Castro
Congressman Joaquin Castro, the Texas Democrat who has been one of Mr. Trump’s most vocal critics, will help prosecute the case against the former president during the Senate trial. Castro said during the recent debate on the removal of the House: “Donald Trump is the most dangerous man the Oval Office has ever occupied.” He asked the Republicans, “What do you think? [rioters] would they have done so if they had entered? What do you think they would have done to you? Who do you think sent them here? “Castro is a member of the House Intelligence Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee. He led the Hispanic Caucus during the last Congress and opposed Trump’s immigration policies. Before moving to Congress , served in the Texas legislature, and as a private law attorney, Castro graduated from Harvard Law School.
Eric Swalwell
Congressman Eric Swalwell, another strong critic of Mr. Trump during his presidency, will use his tax background to present the case against the former president in the Senate. He was heavily involved in the first impeachment trial since he was a member of the House Intelligence Committee. “I promise to work collaboratively with the team of dismissal managers to present a case to the Senate for conviction and removal,” Swalwell said in a statement.
Location of Ted
Congressman Ted Lieu, a California Democrat who was elected in 2014, led the effort to draft and sponsor the indictment with Raskin and Cicilline. “The best way to heal and unify our nation is to hold accountable those who attacked the capital and those who incited the attack. This starts at the top starting with Donald Trump,” Lieu told CBS News’ Nancy Cordes last week. He is a member of the House Justice and Foreign Affairs Committee. Prior to joining Congress, Lieu joined the Air Force part of the Judge Advocate General’s body and is still a member of the Air Force Reserve. He also held various roles in the state government of California during his career.
Stacey Plaskett
Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett will bring her legal background and experience to her role as prosecution manager at the next trial. It represents the U.S. Virgin Islands, meaning it did not have the capacity to vote for removal. Now, he will have his chance to argue the case against the former president in the Senate. In a statement on her role as impeachment manager, Plaskett said, “Donald J. Trump has been and continues to be a clear and present danger to our republic, to our constitution, and to the people of this nation. I will do my duty and defend our blessed country. ” She is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and was previously a lawyer in the Bronx and a lawyer in the Department of Justice.
Madeleine Dean
Congresswoman Madeleine Dean, a Pennsylvania Democrat, is a member of the Judiciary Committee and will bring her broad legal and ethical background to her role as prosecution manager. “Eliminating Donald Trump is the beginning of restoring decency and democracy,” Dean said during the debate on the removal of the House. Dean was first elected in 2018 when Democrats regained a majority in the House.
Joe Neguse
Congressman Joe Neguse, 36, is a rising star in the Democratic caucus and a member of the House Judiciary Committee. Previously, he served as a litigant in the practice of private law. Neguse is the first African-American to represent Colorado and will bring his legal background to his role as a trial manager. “We have a solemn task to perform. And we will live up to the occasion,” Neguse said of his new role as dismissal manager.