<p>The US Senate gavels in Tuesday on Donald Trump's historic second impeachment trial, with his defence team decrying it as a "brazen political act" of retribution and Democratic prosecutors arguing that the ex-president wilfully incited a violent insurrection.</p>.<p>The House of Representatives impeached him last month over his role in the deadly January 6 siege of the US Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, and his trial -- the first of a former president -- will feature the Senate's 100 members sitting as jurors.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/trump-impeachment-can-a-former-president-stand-trial-949286.html">Trump Impeachment: Can a former President stand trial?</a></strong></p>.<p>Trump's legal team Monday denounced the case as unconstitutional, calling it "absurd" to hold the former president responsible for the violence.</p>.<p>But in a preview of their prosecuting arguments, Democrats accused Trump Monday of committing the "most grievous constitutional crime" in the 232-year history of the American presidency by inciting his supporters to storm Congress.</p>.<p><strong>Damage to reputation</strong></p>.<p>If Trump is convicted, he would become the first President of the United States to have been impeached and convicted in the Senate. This would hurt the reputation of Trump as a politician and the Republican party.</p>.<p><strong>May not be able to run for office again</strong></p>.<p>If the Senate convicts a president after an impeachment vote in the House of Representatives, the Senate can later <a href="https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI_S3_C7_1_1/">vote to disqualify</a> the convicted person from running for public office again. Reportedly, Trump has plans to run for President again in 2024 and this vote may prevent that from happening.</p>.<p>This vote unlike a conviction vote would require a simple majority and not a two-third majority like the conviction vote in the Senate. Democrats now have a simple majority in the Senate after Georgia runoff results in early January.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/here-s-how-trump-s-second-impeachment-trial-will-unfold-949235.html">Here’s how Trump’s second impeachment trial will unfold</a></strong></p>.<p><strong>Loss of benefits of being a former president</strong></p>.<p>Former Presidents are paid a pension throughout their lifetime after leaving office. This amount according to the <a href="https://www.archives.gov/about/laws/former-presidents.html">Former Presidents Act</a> is “equal to the annual rate of basic pay … of the head of an executive department."</p>.<p>According to the Office of Personnel and Management, this amount is <a href="https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/20Tables/exec/html/EX.aspx">$219,200</a>. Other than a pension, former presidents also receive certain entitlements such as paid office staff, office space and if their spouse if alive, the person receives $20,000 per year.</p>.<p>However, the Former Presidents Act only applies to those "whose service in such office shall have terminated other than by removal pursuant to section 4 of article II of the Constitution of the United States of America." <a href="https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/article-2/section-4/">Section 4</a> is the section about impeachment.</p>.<p>If he is convicted, this will be after the end of his term as president and hence it is unclear whether this section would apply to him. The section uses the word "removal" and not "conviction". If Trump is convicted, Congress may amend the section which will strip him of his benefits as a former president.</p>.<p><strong>Interpretation of the Former Presidents Act leading to loss of secret service protection</strong></p>.<p>Trump losing <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/house-bill/6620">Secret Service protection</a> is down to how the term "former president" is defined and how the Former Presidents Act is interpreted. It is however unlikely that he would lose Secret Service protection as a 2013 law on Secret Service protection to former presidents and their families does not define the term "former president" and hence the loss of protection is ambiguous.</p>.<p>(<em>With inputs from agencies</em>)</p>
<p>The US Senate gavels in Tuesday on Donald Trump's historic second impeachment trial, with his defence team decrying it as a "brazen political act" of retribution and Democratic prosecutors arguing that the ex-president wilfully incited a violent insurrection.</p>.<p>The House of Representatives impeached him last month over his role in the deadly January 6 siege of the US Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, and his trial -- the first of a former president -- will feature the Senate's 100 members sitting as jurors.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/trump-impeachment-can-a-former-president-stand-trial-949286.html">Trump Impeachment: Can a former President stand trial?</a></strong></p>.<p>Trump's legal team Monday denounced the case as unconstitutional, calling it "absurd" to hold the former president responsible for the violence.</p>.<p>But in a preview of their prosecuting arguments, Democrats accused Trump Monday of committing the "most grievous constitutional crime" in the 232-year history of the American presidency by inciting his supporters to storm Congress.</p>.<p><strong>Damage to reputation</strong></p>.<p>If Trump is convicted, he would become the first President of the United States to have been impeached and convicted in the Senate. This would hurt the reputation of Trump as a politician and the Republican party.</p>.<p><strong>May not be able to run for office again</strong></p>.<p>If the Senate convicts a president after an impeachment vote in the House of Representatives, the Senate can later <a href="https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI_S3_C7_1_1/">vote to disqualify</a> the convicted person from running for public office again. Reportedly, Trump has plans to run for President again in 2024 and this vote may prevent that from happening.</p>.<p>This vote unlike a conviction vote would require a simple majority and not a two-third majority like the conviction vote in the Senate. Democrats now have a simple majority in the Senate after Georgia runoff results in early January.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/international/here-s-how-trump-s-second-impeachment-trial-will-unfold-949235.html">Here’s how Trump’s second impeachment trial will unfold</a></strong></p>.<p><strong>Loss of benefits of being a former president</strong></p>.<p>Former Presidents are paid a pension throughout their lifetime after leaving office. This amount according to the <a href="https://www.archives.gov/about/laws/former-presidents.html">Former Presidents Act</a> is “equal to the annual rate of basic pay … of the head of an executive department."</p>.<p>According to the Office of Personnel and Management, this amount is <a href="https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/20Tables/exec/html/EX.aspx">$219,200</a>. Other than a pension, former presidents also receive certain entitlements such as paid office staff, office space and if their spouse if alive, the person receives $20,000 per year.</p>.<p>However, the Former Presidents Act only applies to those "whose service in such office shall have terminated other than by removal pursuant to section 4 of article II of the Constitution of the United States of America." <a href="https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/article-2/section-4/">Section 4</a> is the section about impeachment.</p>.<p>If he is convicted, this will be after the end of his term as president and hence it is unclear whether this section would apply to him. The section uses the word "removal" and not "conviction". If Trump is convicted, Congress may amend the section which will strip him of his benefits as a former president.</p>.<p><strong>Interpretation of the Former Presidents Act leading to loss of secret service protection</strong></p>.<p>Trump losing <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/house-bill/6620">Secret Service protection</a> is down to how the term "former president" is defined and how the Former Presidents Act is interpreted. It is however unlikely that he would lose Secret Service protection as a 2013 law on Secret Service protection to former presidents and their families does not define the term "former president" and hence the loss of protection is ambiguous.</p>.<p>(<em>With inputs from agencies</em>)</p>
