McConnell says GOP will not agree to reconvene Senate early for Trump's impeachment trial

US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on January 14 said that the GOP will not agree to reconvene the Senate before January 19 to allow an impeachment trial while President Donald Trump is still in office. McConnell’s office has informed Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer’s staff that Republicans will not agree to a Friday session to enable House Democrats to present an article of impeachment to the Senate. In a memo to colleagues, the Majority leader stated that unless there is unanimous consent from senators, Trump’s impeachment trial would not be allowed to begin until 1pm on Tuesday, at which time Joe Biden will have been sworn in as president. 

Even though McConnell has blocked a quick Senate impeachment trial, he, however, has not ruled out that he might eventually vote to convict the now twice-impeached US President. Minutes after the House voted 232-197 on Wednesday to impeach Trump, McConnell said that he’s not determined whether Trump should be convicted in the Senate's upcoming proceedings. The House impeachment articles charge that Trump incited insurrection by exhorting supporters who violently attacked the Capitol last week, resulting in five deaths. 

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Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has said that unless McConnell reverses himself and agrees to quickly start the trial, it would begin after January 19. He noted that he and McConnell could agree to reconvene the Senate in an emergency session in the next few days. Schumer said that he has asked the Majority leader to call the Senate back as all he needs Minority leader’s agreement. 

Trump’s upcoming trial 

It is worth noting that as the trial will take some days or even weeks for the group of House lawmakers to make a case against Trump and his lawyers to answer, the trial can’t practically happen until after Biden’s inauguration. Therefore, the Senators will vote on impeaching a former President. 

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There is a precedent for impeaching former official as well. While the main penalty for a guilty verdict in an impeachment trial is removal from office, Senators could vote to bar Trump from holding office in the future. The outgoing President has still not ruled out running for President in 2024. However, now, if found guilty, he could lose his six-figure pension and other post-presidential perks. 

Trump’s conviction requires 2/3 of those present. If two new Democratic senators, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, are certified, there are 50 senators from each part and 17 Republics would be required to convict the president. However, if those two Democrats are not yet seated, it might require 66 senators. If some number of Republicans didn't want to vote against the president but also didn't want to vote to convict, they could skip the vote and change the ratio.

(Image: AP) 

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