Solemnity Takes Charge

   The Senate chamber was quiet today as the impeachment trial of Donald Trump got under way.
   There was very little chatting and 99 of the 100 seats were filled as senators heard the articles of impeachment being read, then listened as John Roberts, chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, arrived to be sworn in and preside over the impeachment trial. One senator was absent for family illness reasons, and will be sworn in later.
   Then each senator answered individually to live up to the oath, and then lined up to sign the oath book.
   The formality was solemn. Only twice before in the nation's history has the senate held a trial to determine whether a president should be convicted of the charges against him, removed from office and prohibited from holding other office of public trust in America.
   As the formalities ended, Chief Justice Roberts adjourned the proceedings until next week.
   Meanwhile, the evidence supporting the case against the president continued to pile up, as more documentation became public that he broke the law by withholding military aid to Ukraine in exchange for support in his re-election campaign. Leading this was a report from the Government Accountability Office specifying that he violated federal law in doing so. The GAO has a solid reputation for being nonpartisan and accurate.  Nonetheless, the White House rejected the GAO conclusion.
   Now it will be up to the Senate to decide whether to accept the GAO report as evidence, and to decide whether to believe the GAO or accept the president's denial.