Hello, I'm Ros Atkins, and in a new series on the BBC World Service, each week I'll be looking

in depth that one of the biggest stories in the news.

Today, Trump, impeachment and the Republicans.

What will they do about their now former president?

It's a question that impacts not just their party,

but the health of democracy in America and beyond. The Republican Party has decisions to make.

In early January the capital was stormed by Trump supporters. Five people died including a police officer. One month on Donald Trump faces an

impeachment trial again.

This time he's accused of inciting this violence.

And whether guilty or not, this is a man who repeatedly undermined America's election,

who received more than 70 million votes and whose eldest son

sees it this way. This isn't their Republican Party anymore. This is Donald Trump's Republican Party.

Donald Trump's second impeachment trial is the Democrats seeking to sanction him, despite him having left office.

And on impeachment, the Republicans are nothing if not consistent.

This was from the first Trump trial in 2019.

I'm not an impartial juror. This is a political process. There's not anything judicial about it.

impeachment is a political decision.

And once again, many Republicans have made up their minds before the start.

I'll be brief.

I oppose this article of impeachment and I yield back.

Indeed, Republicans supported a debate on stopping this trial.

That effort failed, but for a guilty verdict, 17 of them will need to vote with the Democrats.

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