Sen. Leahy to preside over Trump’s second impeachment trial
By Seung Min Kim and Mike DeBonis
Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (Vt.), president pro tempore of the Senate and its most senior Democrat, will preside over Trump’s second impeachment trial that will begin next month.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. presided over Trump’s first impeachment trial, as the Constitution calls for in impeachment proceedings for a sitting president of the United States.
But senators preside over impeachment trials for any official who is not currently in the White House. Leahy confirmed the reports that he had been tapped for the duty.
“When presiding over an impeachment trial, the president pro tempore takes an additional special oath to do impartial justice according to the Constitution and the laws. It is an oath that I take extraordinarily seriously,” Leahy said in a statement. “When I preside over the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump, I will not waver from my constitutional and sworn obligations to administer the trial with fairness, in accordance with the Constitution and the laws.”
Pressed by reporters about his past criticism of Trump, the senator said: “I’m not presenting the evidence; I am making sure that procedures are followed. I don’t think there’s any senator who over the 40 plus years I’ve been here that would say that I’ve been anything but impartial in ruling on procedure. ”
As president pro tem, Leahy is in the presidential line of succession and is considered the second most senior Senate official after the vice president. Leahy, 80, was first elected in 1974 and has not said whether he will seek a ninth term in 2022.
Leahy’s role was first reported by CNN.
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