Democrats serving as prosecutors in U.S. President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial in the Republican-led Senate will make their case he improperly interfered in Congress’ probe of his dealings with Ukraine in their final day of arguments on Friday.
Democratic managers from the House of Representatives will try to convince Senators and the U.S. public that the Republican President is guilty of the charge of obstructing Congress for withholding key witnesses and documents from the investigation.
Democratic Representative Adam Schiff, the lead House manager, said Mr. Trump had used U.S. foreign policy for his own personal interest, and that failing to oust him from office would open the door to a “lot of damage”.
“This is why if you find him guilty, you must find that he should be removed. Because right matters. Because right matters and truth matters. Otherwise we are lost,” Schiff said in his closing argument on Thursday.
The Democratic-led House impeached Mr. Trump last month on that charge and a separate charge of abuse of power for allegedly trying to coerce Ukraines government into digging up dirt on former Vice-President Joe Biden, a top contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
The impeachment trial in the Senate, the third such proceeding in U.S. history, will determine whether Mr. Trump is ousted from power less than 10 months before he faces re-election.
The Constitution sets out the impeachment process for removing a President who commits “high crimes and misdemeanors.” Mr. Trump denies wrongdoing, while his Republican allies argue his conduct does not rise to the level of an impeachable offence.
Once Democrats conclude their opening arguments, Mr. Trump’s legal team will have up to 24 hours over three days to mount a defence. Senate Republicans are expected to acquit him. A two-thirds vote of the chamber is required to ouster him.
