WASHINGTON – Senator Patrick Leahy (D., Vt.), Who is to preside over former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial, left George Washington University Hospital hours after being taken for evaluation because he did not feel well, said one advisor on Tuesday.
“After receiving the test results and after a thorough examination, Senator Leahy is at home,” said a spokesman. “He is looking forward to getting back to work,” said the aide.
He plans to work tomorrow and give scheduled votes, the aide said. As chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Leahy will play a role in developing legislation for the $ 1.9 trillion Covid-19 aid package proposed by President Biden.
Leahy, 80, is the oldest senator, having been elected for the first time in 1974. When the Senate fell into the hands of Democrats, Mr. Leahy became pro tempore president of the Senate, which is occupied by the oldest senator in the majority party. As a result, Mr. Leahy is third in line for the presidency, after Vice President Kamala Harris and Mayor Nancy Pelosi (D., California).
He had gone to the hospital on the advice of the attending physician, whom he consulted after feeling ill in his Capitol office. Leahy was vaccinated against the coronavirus, with the second injection given on January 7, an aide said.
Trump’s impeachment trial begins in two weeks.
The Constitution states that the president of the United States Supreme Court must preside when the president is tried by the Senate, but says nothing about the former presidents. Chief Justice John Roberts presided over Trump’s first trial, which took place when he was president.
Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer (D., NY), said in an interview with MSNBC that court president Roberts did not want to preside over the second trial, so the responsibility fell on Leahy as president of the Senate pro tempore. The president of the court, Roberts, declined to comment.
More broadly, the issue of Leahy’s health highlighted the precarious nature of the Democratic majority. Democrats and Republicans each control 50 seats, with the majority due solely to Harris’ ability to break relations.
If he left office before his term ended in two years, the governor of Vermont could select a provisional replacement before calling for a special election. Vermont Governor Phil Scott is a Republican.
A Democratic aide did not immediately answer a question about who would preside over an impeachment trial if Leahy was unable to do so.
Write to Siobhan Hughes at [email protected]
Copyright © 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8
Published in the print edition of January 27, 2021 as ‘Leahy plans to return after feeling unwell’.