New York, Dec 26 (TIWN) The final bend of US President Donald Trump's impeachment process, a Senate trial, has suddenly slid into limbo after his Democratic rivals who control the House of Representatives have brought the until-now rapid fire spectacle to a screeching halt and left politicos scratching their heads about how this story ends.

"Timing is everything," the President''s most consequential rival in the US Congress and the heroine of the Democratic resistance Nancy Pelosi said before launching the impeachment inquiry against Trump.  While political pundits began predicting an early January trial, Pelosi has now inserted a twist in the storyline after bottling up impeachment. She is asking Senate Republicans what a trial might look like. 

Pelosi has refused to submit articles of impeachment to the Senate and the standoff is likely to last a few weeks at least before the high stakes feud resumes on the other side of the new year.  Republicans control the Senate 53-47.

Even if all Democratic Senators vote to remove Trump, at least 20 Republicans will have to flip for him to be convicted and removed from office. A two thirds vote in the Senate is required to remove an impeached US President.  Throughout the impeachment tumult so far, the White House has kept its sights firmly on the Senate trial, where Trump is almost certain to be acquitted.