DONALD TRUMP'S second impeachment trial is about to take shape with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi preparing to send an article of impeachment to the Senate today.
The former president was impeached in the House earlier this month after being accused of inciting violence at the Capitol, where a number of Trump supporters stormed Congress in an attempt to stop Joe Biden's election victory from being certified.
Five people were killed during the riots, including one police officer.
Once the article of impeachment is officially sent, proceedings will be begin for Trump's trial in the Senate, which is expected to begin during the second week of February.
A two-thirds majority vote is needed in order to convict Trump.
The Democrats - who are all expected to vote in favour of conviction - control 50 seats in the 100-seat chamber.
This means they'll need at least 17 Republicans to vote with them in order to convict.
Trump is the first president to be impeached twice and, now that his term has ended, will also become the first former president to face an impeachment trial.
Despite the unprecedented situation, Ms Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, insisted that the trial should proceed as normal, saying: "I don't think it will be long, but we must do it."
Many Republicans have argued that the Senate has no authority to put a private citizen - which Mr Trump has now become - on trial.
The Constitution is unfortunately unspecific on the subject and does not explicitly say whether or not a former president can be put on trial.
There is however some precedent in that former judges and members of Congress have been previously tried in the Senate after they left their jobs, but debate rumbles on about how constitutional that really was.
