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20:22 GMT
WASHINGTON, Jan 21 (KUNA) - The impeachment trial of President Donald Trump for the abuse of power and the obstruction of Congress began at the US Senate on Tuesday.
Proceedings amid the first session between a legal team, defending the president, and House lawmakers, who form the prosecution team, are expected to go on to the late hours.
Trump has been accused of conditioning US foreign aid to Ukraine in return for the latter government's investigation into his main political rival, Joe Biden, a former vice-president and Democratic presidential candidate.
Republican Senators will have the final say on the proceedings as they make up the majority and can vote to end the trial at any time.
An impeachment resolution requires a two-third majority in the Senate or 67 votes which is a very difficult threshold to reach as there are 53 Republican senators compared to 47 Democrats.
Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, a Republican, insisted that the trial would be "fair, evenhanded and (one that) tracks closely with past precedent."
In response, Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, accused McConnell of following "rules (that) seem to be designed by President Trump for President Trump simply executed by leader McConnell and Senate Republicans.
"It appears that leader McConnell decided to go along with the president's desire to cover up his wrongdoing," he claimed. (end)
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