Who is Mitch McConnell, the Republican senator who could decide Donald Trump’s fate?

File image: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell walks from the Senate floor to his office on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Image: AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

United States President Donald Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives for a historic second time on January 13, charging him with “incitement of insurrection” over the deadly mob siege of the US Capitol last week.

The House of Representatives, controlled by the Democrats, voted 232-197 to impeach Trump, with just a week to go before his presidential tenure ends. President-elect Joe Biden is scheduled to be sworn-in on January 20.

As many as 10 Republicans joined forces with the Democrats to push through the Article of Impeachment at lightning speed.

Trump is now the only US president to be impeached twice. It was the most bipartisan presidential impeachment in modern times, more so than against Bill Clinton in 1998.

Read: Here are other US presidents who met the same fate

What happens next?

The next step is for the US Senate – the Upper House – to vote on the Article of Impeachment. While it is unlikely that the vote will take place before Trump leaves office on January 20, the negative outcome will have a larger bearing on the 74-year-old’s political future.

If the Senate votes in favor of removing Trump, he would be barred from holding federal office again. This would end his hopes of running for the office in 2024.

But his removal would require the support of 2/3rd of the Senate. With the Democrats clinching two more seats in the recent election, the Senate would have 50 Democrats and 50 Republicans when the vote takes place. So, at least 17 Republicans would have to vote against Trump.

Thus, all eyes are on Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, the current Senate majority leader who had sided with Trump in the past.

Read: Now that Donald Trump is impeached (again), what's next?

Who is Mitch McConnell?

While McConnell is set to lose his position as the majority leader to Democrat Chuck Schumer, he would still be in a position to influence Republican votes as a minority leader. If McConnell decides to vote against Trump, more Republicans are likely to follow suit.

So far, McConnell has maintained a neutral stand and said that he is still undecided. However, some news reports suggest that he is in favor of voting against Trump.

The New York Times reported on January 12 that McConnell has told his associates that he believes Trump has committed impeachable offenses and he is pleased that Democrats are moving to impeach him.