US Senate recognizes Trump's impeachment process legal

56 Senators, including six Republicans, voted for constitutional impeachment to Trump. 44 Republican senators voted against. The procedure has not yet been completed: its discussion will continue on February 10.

"The Republican's lawyers, as well as some of his party members, demanded that the process be stopped, since Donald Trump is no longer acting president", - Kommersant reports.

The delicacy of the situation with the impeachment of Trump lies in the fact that at the moment he is no longer the head of state: after losing the November elections, he lost the leading post to Democrat Joseph Biden, who officially took office on January 20.

Earlier in the history of the country, there were no cases when an impeachment was made to a former president. There is still debate about the legality of such a procedure among constitutional law experts.

Trump's impeachment process was launched in Congress while he was still the head of state. The reason for the renunciation was the events of January 6, 2021, when a determined crowd of Donald Trump supporters burst into the Capitol building at the time of the Senate meeting. To expel rioters from the building, weapons and tear gas had to be used, as a result of the clashes five people died. The initiators of the impeachment are convinced that Donald Trump urged his supporters to such an assault.

Following the tragic events on Capitol Hill, Trump was charged with incitement to insurrection. First, the recommendation of impeachment was approved in the lower house of Congress, then the documents were submitted to the upper house of the American parliament.

Trump's impeachment proceedings in the Senate kicked off on January 26. To approve impeachment, 67 out of 100 votes are needed. This means that the dismissal will require not only the consent of all Democrats, but also 17 Republican votes. If the decision is passed, then Trump, who formally still has the right to run for a second presidential term in 2024, faces a life-long ban on public office.

This is an unprecedented moment for the US, which has never put an impeached president on trial after they have left office.