The impeachment trial of Donald Trump begins Thursday—at least in a symbolic way. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is delaying the substantive start of the trial until next week. But the trial will formally start at noon as the House impeachment managers process to the Senate with the articles of impeachment, which they will read out.
Following that, at 2 PM ET, Chief Justice John Roberts will be sworn in to preside over the trial. He will then swear in the senators, who will pledge to “do impartial justice.” Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has, however, said that “I’m not an impartial juror” and pledged “total coordination” with the White House. More recently, he’s been trying to pretend, for a hot minute, that he’s something other than a ruthless partisan seeking to maintain his own power, saying Wednesday that “We will pledge to rise above the petty factionalism and do justice for our institutions, for our states and for the nation.” Sure, Mitch.
Arguments in the trial won’t begin until Tuesday. The House impeachment managers are: House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, as well as Reps. Zoe Lofgren, Hakeem Jeffries, Val Demings, Jason Crow, and Sylvia Garcia. White House counsel Pat Cipollone will lead Trump’s defense.