National Review
McConnell confirms that the impeachment trial will not take place until Trump leaves office, leaving open the possibility of voting to condemn
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) Will not meet again in the Senate before Tuesday, meaning that an impeachment trial against President Trump will take place after Joe Biden takes office. While Democrats are pushing for impeachment and even removing Trump less than a week before he stepped down, a McConnell aide confirmed to reporters that the Senate will not meet again before January 19, the day before the inauguration of Biden. The Republican Senate leadership was considering a new emergency meeting on Friday to conduct the impeachment trial before Trump stepped down. Thus, the trial will take place with a Senate tied at 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, and will be chaired by the President of the Court of Justice John Roberts. McConnell also told colleagues on Wednesday that he had not reached a decision on his impeachment vote, despite a New York Times report suggesting that he supported the conviction. “Although the press is full of speculation, I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to hear the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate,” McConnell told Senate Republicans, according to Fox News. Several House Republicans are expected to vote for impeachment, including Congresswoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the third member of the caucus. It is unclear how many Republican senators would support the impeachment. McConnell himself supports the president’s impeachment efforts, seeing the process as an opportunity to expunge Trump from the Republican Party, the New York Times reported on Tuesday. Democrats began their impeachment process after Trump urged a crowd of his supporters to meet outside the Capitol on January 6, claiming that the election was “stolen” by Democrats. The crowd stormed the Capitol, forced lawmakers to evacuate and injured dozens of police, including one who later died from his injuries. Republican Party leader Kevin McCarthy (R., California), condemned the impeachment on Wednesday, but blamed Trump for the unrest. “Some say the disturbances were caused by Antifa. There is absolutely no evidence for this. And conservatives should be the first to say that, ”McCarthy said on the floor of the House. “The president is responsible for Wednesday’s attack on Congress by mafia rebels. He should have immediately reported the mob when he saw what was going on. “