Supreme Court Justice John Roberts will not preside over a second impeachment trial for President Donald Trump, putting Democrat Senate Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy in charge of the proceedings. President Trump being a former president is the reason for the move.
Chief Justice John Roberts not expected to preside over Trump's trial. Expect Senate President Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy, the most senior mbr of the majority party to preside
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) January 25, 2021
It has been rumored Roberts would step aside should the Senate proceed with the impeachment process, despite President Trump no longer being in office. There was potential for former Senator and current Vice President Kamala Harris to oversee the process.
Leahy is still expected to be able to vote in the trial
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 25, 2021
Leahy tells reporters: “I don’t think there’s any senator who over the 40 plus years I’ve been here would say I’m anything but impartial in ruling on procedure,” per @alizaslav
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 25, 2021
Over the weekend it was revealed Attorney Butch Bowers will work on Trump's defense. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to send one article of impeachment, which was passed by the House just over one week ago, to the Senate Monday night.
“The article of impeachment for incitement of insurrection by Donald Trump will be delivered to the Senate on Monday, January 25. Our Constitution and our country are well served by the extraordinary leadership of Lead Manager Jamie Raskin, and Representatives Diana DeGette, David Cicilline, Joaquin Castro, Eric Swalwell, Ted Lieu, Stacey Plaskett, Madeleine Dean and Joe Neguse," Pelosi released in a statement. “We are respectful of the Senate’s constitutional power over the trial and always attentive to the fairness of the process, noting that the former president will have had the same amount of time to prepare for trial as our Managers. Our Managers are ready to begin to make their case to 100 Senate jurors through the trial process."