Democrats at the U.S. House of Representatives have started a second day of opening arguments in the trial on whether to convict and remove President Donald Trump from office.
The seven lawmakers acting as prosecutors on January 23 made their case in the Senate on abuse of power -- one of the two articles of impeachment for which Trump has been charged:
They plan to present facts and evidence of alleged obstruction of Congress the next day.
A July 25 phone call between Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, is at the center of the trial.
A transcript of the conversation revealed that Trump had urged Zelenskiy to investigate his political rival, Joe Biden, and his son.
Critics say the Trump administration withheld crucial military aid to Kyiv as leverage.
Trump has denied the charges and called the impeachment proceedings a “witch hunt.”
Adam Schiff (California), the lead House prosecutor, told the Senate on January 22 that, if Trump isn’t convicted, future presidents will act as if they too are above the law.
The Senate is expected to acquit the president since the chamber is controlled by Trump's fellow Republicans.
