What comes next in the impeachment process

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- With the announcement Tuesday, Dec. 10, that the U.S. House of Representatives drafted two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, there is only one step remaining before a formal House floor vote.

The House Judiciary Committee, controlled by Democrats, needs to recommend the full House take up the articles. House leadership has indicated this will likely happen Thursday, with a full vote expected before Congress breaks for the holiday season.

Marquette Political Science professor Paul Nolette said President Trump will likely be impeached.

"Democrats have a fairly healthy majority in the House of Representatives," Nolette said. "And there's already enough Democrats who have signaled that they're going along with the Impeachment process."

Democrats make up 233 of the current 431 seats in the House,  so they could reach the 216 votes needed to impeach President Trump without a single Republican vote.

In the event that the House does vote to Impeach, the Senate would hold a trial to potentially convict the president. Senators would essentially become the jury, a group of Representatives would act as prosecutors, and Chief Supreme Court Justice John Roberts would act as judge.

A Senate vote to convict the president is far less likely than an Impeachment vote in the House. Sixty-seven votes are required to convict the president on articles of Impeachment, meaning at least 20 Republican senators would have to vote for it.

"I think there is probably slightly more than a zero percent chance, but I think it would probably have to take some sort of new revelation," Nolette said.

Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell says he would not want to drag it out.

"The entire process might be only a month, month and a half left in this impeachment saga," Nolette said.

If the Senate were to vote the president out of office, there is not a waiting period. Vice President Mike Pence would take over on the spot, and finish President Trump's term. In the potential case of removal from office, the Senate would have the option to take an additional vote to ban Trump from the office for life.