Trump was i
it is first sign that Roberts might have a tiny backbone
He shows backbone by refusing to do his job? the man is a coward
He is doing his job. The Senate can't try any civilian and Trump is now a civilian.
CORRECT. Article 2, Section 4 of the Constitution states:
The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.
The Constitution also allows for involuntary removal from office of the president, vice president, Cabinet secretaries, and other executive officers, as well as judges, who may be impeached by the House of Representatives and tried in the Senate.
Any official convicted by the Senate is immediately removed from office, and the Senate may also order, by a simple majority, that the removed official be forever disqualified from holding any federal office.
The Constitution makes no allowance for impeaching a person from office who HOLDS NO OFFICE and is not a civil officer of the United States. Period. End of story.
Before Nancy can have her pound of flesh, she would need to have an amendment ratified to the Constitution first making allowance for the Senate to try civilians and FORMER officers of the United States, which they cannot do as this would create a legal quandry of giving the Senate unlimited power to cross legal boundaries into civilian courts.
Trump was impeached while he was President. So the impeachment is valid.
Once impeached the Senate must put him on trial. It's up to the Senate when to schedule the trial.
The fact that he is no longer President is not relevant.
When Sen. Blount was impeached in 1797, the fact that he had already been expelled from the Senate was deemed not relevant.
U.S. Senate: Blount Expulsion