Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, the chamber’s president pro tempore, on Tuesday pledged fairness and an equal say for Senate lawmakers as he presides over the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.
“My intention and solemn obligation is to conduct this trial with fairness to all,” Leahy wrote in a letter to his Senate colleagues. “I will adhere, as have my predecessors in the Senate who have presided over impeachment trials, to the Constitution and to applicable Senate rules, precedent, and governing resolutions.”
Leahy also promised to be guided by Senate precedent and to consult the Parliamentarian on the occasion of a motion, objection or request put before him.
Leahy, the chamber’s longest serving Democrat, will preside over the impeachment trial, which began Tuesday afternoon. Any decision he makes as the trial’s presiding officer is subject to review by the whole Senate, he said in the letter. He will also submit any constitutional questions brought up by the trial to the entire Senate.