As Democrats prepare to impeach President Trump for the second time, President-elect Joe Biden is running to ensure that the effort does not hinder his legislative agenda or confirm his cabinet choices in the early days of his administration.
Trump can be accused of impeachment as early as Wednesday, so House Democrats consider his role in inciting disturbances at the U.S. Capitol, just seven days before Biden took office.
Following House votes, impeachment articles are expected to move immediately to the Senate, where Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Has indicated that a trial is unlikely to begin until January 19, coinciding with the inauguration of Biden at 20. (The Senate is currently in recess and cannot return to Washington without the unanimous consent of all 100 senators.)
TRUMP ACKNOWLEDGES THAT HE HAS SOME BLAME FOR THE MOTIVATION OF CAPITOLS IN CONVERSATION WITH MCCARTHY
The timing could thwart Biden’s promise to “get to work” on coronavirus relief legislation, prompting him to ask the Senate this week if the chamber could split its schedule so lawmakers could consider its agenda and impeachment at the same time. .
“I had an argument today with some people in the House and the Senate,” Biden told reporters on Monday, while receiving the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. “And the question is whether, for example, if the House moves forward – which obviously happens – with the impeachment and send it to the Senate, we can fork that or not.”
In the absence of a broader agreement between the leaders, Senate rules state that during the impeachment – which usually lasts weeks – senators must meet six days a week, taking only Sunday off, potentially harming the next government. Biden signaled that he was exploring ways to advance his plan to deal with the double health and economic crisis while still seeking impeachment.
IMPEACHMENT ARTICLE AGAINST TRUMP TO BE INTRODUCED ON MONDAY AT HOME
“Can we take half a day to deal with impeachment and half a day for my people to be nominated and confirmed in the Senate?” he asked.
Although Biden said he did not receive a response from the Senate MP over his request, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., who will soon become the majority leader, suggested that he was open to dividing time between the impeachment and confirmation of Biden’s nominees, saying “we have to change the agenda as well.”
“We will have to do several things at the same time, but we will also change the agenda,” Schumer told Buffalo News. “Yes, we have to do both.”
Like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Schumer endorsed Trump’s impeachment if Vice President Mike Pence does not invoke the 25th Amendment to dismiss Trump as inappropriate and remove him from office. It seems unlikely that Pence and the majority of the Cabinet will do so.
NANCY PELOSI, IN AN INTERVIEW OF ’60 MINUTES ‘, SLAMS TRUMP AS’ DANGER, ‘CALL FOR’ PROSECUTION ‘
Schumer also investigated whether the Senate could be called to an emergency session for the impeachment trial, according to Bloomberg News, citing two senior advisers. But bringing senators back before January 19 would require McConnell’s support, and it is unclear whether he would support such an effort. McConnell did not say whether he would support the president’s impeachment or accelerate the trial.
House Democrats presented a four-page impeachment article against Trump for “inciting insurrection” about the attack on the Capitol, which unfolded on Wednesday after a rally to support the president, during which he repeatedly said the election was stolen and urged his followers to “fight.” After the speech, the crowd descended into a crowd that invaded the Capitol during the voting certification of the Electoral College. The crowd searched the building and forced officials, reporters and lawmakers, including Vice President Mike Pence, to take shelter in the House and Senate.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION
Five, including a US Capitol Police officer, died. Another police officer involved in the defense of the Capitol died while on leave in the days following the attack, officials said.
“President Trump has seriously threatened the security of the United States and its institutions of government. He has threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transfer of power and endangered a co-equal branch of government. Thus, he has betrayed his trust. as president, for the manifest damage of the people of the United States, “says the article.
The measure was introduced by the Reps. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., Ted Lieu, D-Calif., And David Cicilline, DR.I., along with more than 210 Democratic co-sponsors.