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"With God's grace... I'm ready," USVI Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett wrote on her Facebook page in the wee hours of Wednesday. She was referring to the strength needed to perform in her new role as impeachment manager, given to Ms. Plaskett and eight other Democrats by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The managers' job, if impeachment in the House is achieved, is to take the case of impeachment against President Trump to the Senate for trial. Democrats have drafted an article of impeachment that accuses Mr. Trump of inciting his supporters during a rally on Jan. 6 in Washington, D.C. to storm the Capitol, which led to a violent mob overtaking the Capitol Building leading to the death of five people, including two Capitol police officers.
Maryland Democrat Rep. Jamie Raskin is the lead impeachment manager. Mr. Raskin is a former professor of constitutional law at American University’s Washington College of Law, and was responsible for co-writing the impeachment article the House will soon vote on. He also co-wrote the resolution on the 25th amendment to remove the president that Democrats passed late Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters, Mr. Raskin said, “I'm honored to be on a team with extremely distinguished lawyers and representatives. We have a tremendous responsibility on our shoulders right now."
The other managers are: Democratic Reps. David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Diana DeGette of Colorado, Ted Lieu of California, Joaquin Castro of Texas, Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania, Eric Swalwell of California, and Joe Neguse of Colorado.
Congresswoman Plaskett is a former assistant district attorney in the Bronx DA’s office. She has also worked as a political appointee at the Department of Justice where she served as senior counsel under both Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson and his successor James Comey, according to information found on Ms. Plaskett's official website.
During her tenure as assistant district attorney, Ms. Plaskett worked on the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund, The Terrorism Litigation Task Force, advanced the DOJ Diversity Initiative to increase minority attorneys, and was the lead political attorney on the RICO case against the tobacco companies US v Phillip Morris, et. al, according to the website.
It was unclear as of early Wednesday when a trial would start. According to the Constitution, the trial should commence the day after the House sends articles of impeachment to the Senate, however with Mr. Biden in the process of organizing his cabinet, the House could delay transmittal to allow the president-elect time. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is said to be pleased that House Democrats were moving to impeach the president, according to the New York Times, citing people familiar with Mr. McConnell's thinking. The Times said Mr. McConnell believes a successful impeachment, which would have to be approved in the Senate, would essentially remove Mr. Trump from the Republican Party. To accomplish impeachment, however, a two-thirds majority is needed in the Senate, which means at least 17 Republicans would need to support the action.
