WASHINGTON >> The opening arguments in Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial on the Capitol riot will begin in the week of February 8, the first time that a former president will face such charges after stepping down.
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer announced the schedule on Friday night after reaching an agreement with Republicans, who pushed for a postponement to give Trump the chance to organize his legal team and prepare a defense under the single charge of inciting insurrection.
The early February date also gives the Senate more time to confirm nominations for President Joe Biden’s office and consider its proposed $ 1.9 trillion COVID relief package – top priorities on the new White House agenda that may be paralyzed during trial procedures.
“We all want to leave this terrible chapter of our nation’s history behind,” Schumer said of the deadly January 6 siege of the Capitol by a crowd of pro-Trump supporters.
“But healing and unity will only come if there is truth and responsibility. And that is what this test will provide. “
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will send the impeachment article on Monday night, with the senators sworn in on Tuesday. But the opening arguments will pass to February.
Trump’s impeachment trial would be the first for a U.S. president who is no longer in office, a task that his Republican allies in the Senate say is useless and potentially even unconstitutional. Democrats say they need to hold Trump accountable, even while pursuing Biden’s legislative priorities, because of the seriousness of what happened – a violent attack on the United States Congress with the aim of nullifying an election.
If Trump is convicted, the Senate can vote to prevent him from taking office again, potentially increasing his chances of a political return.
The urgency for Democrats to hold Trump accountable was complicated by the need to put the Biden government in place and get to work quickly on its coronavirus aid package.
“The more time we have to start working … the better,” Biden said on Friday in brief comments to reporters.
Republicans were eager to delay the trial, putting distance between the shocking events of the siege and the votes that will test their loyalty to the former president, who still draws voters’ attention.
Negotiations between Schumer and Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell were complicated, as the two are also in talks about a power-sharing agreement for the Senate, which is divided into 50-50, but in Democratic control because Vice President Kamala Harris acts as a tiebreaker.
McConnell proposed to delay the start and welcomed the deal.
“Republicans have decided to ensure that the Senate’s next steps will respect the rights and due process of former President Trump, the Senate institution and the presidential office,” said McConnell spokesman Doug Andres. “That goal has been achieved.”
Pelosi said on Friday that the House’s nine impeachment managers, or prosecutors, are “ready to start making their case” against Trump. The Trump team will have had the same amount of time to prepare since the House’s impeachment vote, Pelosi said.
Democrats say they can move quickly through the trial, potentially without witnesses, because lawmakers experienced the insurrection firsthand.
One of the managers, California deputy Ted Lieu, said on Friday that Democrats prefer to work on politics now, but “we can’t just ignore” what happened on January 6.
“This was an attack on our Capitol by a violent crowd,” Lieu said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It was an attack on our nation instigated by our commander in chief. We have to resolve this and make sure it never happens again. “
Trump, who told his supporters to “fight like hell” just before breaking into the Capitol two weeks ago and interrupting the counting of electoral votes, is still building up his legal team.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki postponed the trial deadline to Congress on Friday and did not say whether Biden thinks Trump should be convicted. But she said lawmakers could simultaneously discuss and hold hearings on Biden’s coronavirus relief package.
“We don’t think it can be delayed or can wait, so they will have to find a way to go,” said Psaki of the virus. “He is confident that they can do that.”
Democrats would need the support of at least 17 Republicans to condemn Trump, a high bar. While most Republican senators condemned Trump’s actions that day, let alone appear ready for sentencing.
A handful of Senate Republicans have indicated that they are open – but not committed – to the conviction. But most came to Trump’s defense on impeachment, saying they believed a trial would cause division and questioning the legality of trying a president after he stepped down.
South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, a close Trump ally who helped him find lawyers, said on Friday that there is “a very compelling constitutional case” about whether Trump can be impeached after his term – a statement that Democrats they reject it, saying that there is ample precedent legislation. Graham also suggested that Republicans will argue that Trump’s words on January 6 were not legally “incitement”.
“According to the facts, they will be able to mount a defense, so the main thing is to give him a chance to prepare and conduct the trial in an orderly manner, and hopefully the Senate will reject the idea of chasing presidents after they step down,” Graham said. .
Other Republicans had stronger words, suggesting that there should be no trial. Wyoming Senator John Barrasso said Pelosi is sending a message to Biden that “my hatred and vitriol for Donald Trump is so strong that I will prevent even you and your office from doing anything.” Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson suggested that Democrats are choosing “revenge” over national security, while Biden tries to establish his government.
McConnell, who said this week that Trump “teased” his supporters before the riot, did not say how he would vote. He said Senate Republicans “strongly believe that we need a complete and fair process, where the ex-president can mount a defense and the Senate can properly consider the factual, legal and constitutional issues.”
Trump, the first president to be charged twice, is at a disadvantage compared to his first impeachment trial, in which he had all the resources of the White House lawyer’s office to defend him. Graham helped Trump hire South Carolina attorney Butch Bowers after members of his previous legal teams indicated they did not plan to join the new effort.