U.S. Senate's Schumer reviewing Republican request for Trump impeachment
trial delay
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[January 22, 2021]
By Makini Brice and Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Majority
Leader Chuck Schumer is reviewing a request from Republicans to put off
the start of former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial until
mid-February, a Schumer spokesman said Thursday.
Republicans argued that Trump needed time to prepare a defense against
charges of inciting insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell requested the timeline after
Democrats earlier in the day said that the House of Representatives
could send the impeachment charge - passed last week in response to the
deadly storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters - to the Senate as
early as Friday.
Trump, a Republican, left office on Wednesday and flew to his Florida
resort, hours before Democrat Joe Biden was sworn in.
McConnell said in a statement that he asked Democrats to hold off on
sending the impeachment charge to the Senate until Jan. 28, and then
give Trump two weeks from that day to prepare a defense.
A spokesman for Schumer said the majority leader had received the
proposal late Thursday afternoon. "We will review it and discuss it"
with McConnell, the spokesman said.
Democrats control the Senate by the narrowest possible margin, relying
on Vice President Kamala Harris's tie-breaking vote in a 50-50 chamber,
and also need Republican cooperation to advance much of Biden's agenda,
as well as confirming Cabinet appointments.
Trump is the only U.S. president to have been impeached twice, and his
trial in the Senate will be the only one ever to have taken place after
a president has left office.
A source familiar with the planning told Reuters the House could
transmit the article of impeachment as early as Friday, and No. 2 Senate
Democrat Dick Durbin said he expected it "in a day or two." In Trump's
first impeachment trial, the Senate began the proceedings the day after
the charges were sent from the House.
But Republican senators said they had discussed with McConnell the need
to give Trump time for "due process," as Senator John Cornyn put it.
"From what I understand from today's conversation, it does not get
started until sometime mid-February," Republican Senator Mike Braun told
reporters.
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U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) exits his office on
his way to a photo-op with freshman senators at the U.S. Capitol in
Washington, U.S., January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Tom Brenner
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declined to answer reporters' questions
earlier Thursday about when she would submit the charge. Durbin told
reporters that it was still not determined whether the Senate will
hold a "full-blown trial with evidence and witnesses" or an
"expedited" procedure.
The House vote last week charged Trump with inciting the deadly Jan.
6 attack on the Capitol, a failed attempt to prevent Congress from
formally certifying Biden's victory.
Democrats, who hold a House majority, narrowly took control of the
Senate on Wednesday, but at least two-thirds of the 100-member body
are required to convict Trump. A separate vote would be needed to
block him from running for office again.
Trump has hired South Carolina-based lawyer Butch Bowers to
represent him in his Senate impeachment trial, a source familiar
with the matter said on Thursday.
While Republicans have called for a delay to allow Trump to prepare
his defense, some Democrats would also favor a delay to help keep
Biden's agenda and appointments on track.
Senator Chris Coons said Democrats would be open to considering a
delay if progress is made in confirming Biden nominees.
"There are dozens of senior members of the administration who need
to be confirmed and deserve to be confirmed," Coons told CNN. "If we
continue to make progress in that direction, then I think this is a
good step. If not, you'll quickly find Democrats frustrated and
insisting that we move ahead with the accountability that could be
delivered by an impeachment trial."
(Reporting by Makini Brice, Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell;
Editing by Scott Malone, Howard Goller and Daniel Wallis)
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