House prosecutors walked the article of impeachment against former President Donald Trump to the Senate on Monday night, setting the stage for a trial to begin Feb. 9.
Nine House members led by Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., will serve as prosecutors, who are called managers, in the trial.
House Democrats were joined by 10 Republicans in voting Jan. 13 to charge Trump with inciting insurrection at the Capitol a week earlier after a riot left five people dead. A violent mob smashed windows and doors while storming the building and occupying offices, including the Senate chamber, where the trial will be held.
With the formal presentation of the article of impeachment, senators will be sworn in Tuesday as jurors to determine whether Trump incited the rampage. Conviction requires a two-thirds majority of the Senate with 50 Republicans and 50 members who caucus with Democrats.
Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the longest-serving member of the Democratic majority, will preside over the trial rather than Chief Justice John Roberts.
Roberts presided over Trump’s first impeachment trial over dealings with Ukraine. But the Constitution calls for the chief justice to preside only over trials of sitting presidents.
— Bart Jansen
Janet Yellen wins Senate approval as Treasury secretary
Janet Yellen became the first woman to head the U.S. Treasury Department on Monday, a historic appointment that will position her to promptly work on President Joe Biden’s economic agenda, which aims to further the recovery and offer relief to Americans devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Yellen, the first woman to lead the Federal Reserve during her tenure from 2014 to 2018, was confirmed by the Senate on Monday.
She is the first person to head the Treasury, Federal Reserve and the White House Council of Economic Advisers.
In a Washington, D.C., bitterly divided over everything from the size of the next COVID-19 relief package to broader tax and spending policies, former Fed Chair Yellen may be just the balm, experts say.
