Trump's trial begins in Senate

Senators sworn in after House impeachment manager Rep. Adam Schiff reads 2 articles

The impeachment trial of US President Donald Trump on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress began in the Senate on Thursday with a mixture of ritual and formalities and a solemn swearing-in of senators to do "impartial justice''.

Only the third impeachment proceeding against a US president in history, it began with the reading of the two articles of impeachment aloud by Representative Adam Schiff of California, the Democratic-controlled House's lead impeachment manager. The senators sat silently under strict rules that prohibit talking or cellphones.

During the trial, all senators will be warned by the Sergeant at Arms to remain silent "on pain of imprisonment" and will be expected to be present and seated at their assigned desks.

Two hours later, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who will preside over the trial, was sworn in; he then swore in senators: "I solemnly swear that in all things appertaining to the trial of the impeachment of President Donald J. Trump, now pending, I will do impartial justice according to the Constitution and laws: so help me God."

Ninety-nine of 100 senators were present for the swearing-in. Senator Jim Inhofe, Republican from Oklahoma, was at home with a family member facing a medical issue, according to his office. He plans to be sworn in next week before the trial begins in earnest.

Each senator then walked to the Senate clerk's desk to sign an oath book, in alphabetical order, signifying that they had taken the vow as prescribed in the Constitution.

Aides said Trump wasn't watching the events on television. After senators signed the book, Trump spoke to reporters in the Oval Office, saying: "I think it should go very quickly It's a hoax, it's a hoax. Everybody knows that."

Trial testimony won't get under way until the Senate reconvenes on Tuesday after the Martin Luther King Jr holiday weekend.

After the swearing-in, the Senate formally notified the White House of the pending trial and summoned Trump, but he will be given time to reply.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Republican from Kentucky, recited unanimous agreements setting deadlines for trial documents. The House has until 5 pm Saturday to file its trial brief, the White House until noon Monday to file its trial brief, and the House until noon Tuesday to file its rebuttal.

At least two-thirds of the Republican-controlled Senate would have to vote to convict Trump to remove him from office. Trump has denied wrongdoing.

The articles accuse Trump of pressuring Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to investigate his political rival, former vice-president Joe Biden, while withholding a valuable White House meeting and $391 million in military aid. The withholding of the aid is central to the impeachment proceedings against Trump.

Shortly before the impeachment process got underway, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), an independent congressional watchdog, said the Trump administration broke the law when it withheld the aid to Ukraine last year. The GAO said funds appropriated by Congress can't be withheld by the White House.

The White House criticized the decision as "overreach''.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) disputed the GAO opinion, arguing that the budget office used the "apportionment authority to ensure taxpayer dollars are properly spent consistent with the president's priorities and with the law".

The White House on Thursday also dismissed allegations from Lev Parnas, a Soviet-born businessman and former associate of the president's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, that Trump was aware of a scheme to get Ukraine to announce investigations into Biden.

Parnas turned over to House investigators what he said were details of a pressure campaign against Ukraine, and he said Wednesday in an interview on CNN and with The New York Times that he believed Trump was fully aware of the efforts to dig up dirt on his political rivals.

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham attacked Parnas' credibility, accused him of seeking attention on anti-Trump media outlets and pointed to Trump's denials that he knows the businessman despite the two appearing in photos together. "We stand by exactly what we've been saying," she added. "The president did nothing wrong."

Trump also claimed he didn't know Parnas.

"Don't know where he comes from," Trump said in the Oval Office, dismissing the photos.

Ukrainian authorities announced a probe Thursday into possible surveillance of US ambassador Marie Yovanovitch before she was dismissed from her post by the Trump administration.

The statement by Ukraine's Interior Ministry followed the disclosure of new documents related to the impeachment case against Trump. The material included exchanges between Parnas and others about the need to push Yovanovitch from her post.