WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The leaders of the U.S. Senate agreed on Friday to push back former President Donald Trump\u2019s impeachment trial by two weeks, giving the chamber more time to focus on President Joe Biden\u2019s legislative agenda and Cabinet nominees before turning to the contentious showdown over Trump.<\/p>\n
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, said the trial is set to begin during the week of Monday Feb. 8, an arrangement praised by the chamber\u2019s top Republican, Mitch McConnell.<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives is due to formally deliver to the Senate on Monday the impeachment charge accusing Trump of inciting an insurrection, a move that ordinarily would have triggered the beginning of the trial within a day. The charge stems from Trump\u2019s incendiary speech to supporters before they stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 in a rampage that delayed the formal congressional certification of Biden\u2019s election victory and left five people dead, including a police officer.<\/p>\n
Schumer said the new timeline will allow the Senate to move quickly on key Biden appointees and other tasks while giving House lawmakers who will prosecute the case and Trump\u2019s team more time to prepare for the trial.<\/p>\n
\u201cDuring that period, the Senate will continue to do other business for the American people, such as Cabinet nominations and the COVID relief bill which would provide relief for millions of Americans who are suffering during this pandemic,\u201d Schumer said on the Senate floor.<\/p>\n
The timeline was a compromise after McConnell had asked the Democratic-led House to delay sending the charge until next Thursday, and called on Schumer to postpone the trial until mid-February to give Trump more time to prepare a defense.<\/p>\n
Doug Andres, a spokesman for McConnell, said the senator was pleased Democrats had given Trump\u2019s defense more time, and laid out a timeline that could have the trial begin as soon as Feb. 9.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThis is a win for due process and fairness,\u201d Andres said.<\/p>\n
Under the timeline, House impeachment managers will file their pre-trial brief and Trump\u2019s defense team will file an answer to the impeachment charge on Feb. 2, and each side will respond to those filings on Feb. 8.<\/p>\n
Trump on Jan. 13 became the first U.S. president to have been impeached twice. The Senate acquitted him last year in the previous trial focused on Trump\u2019s request that Ukraine investigate Biden and his son. Trump\u2019s presidential term ended on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Conviction in the Senate would require a two-thirds vote – meaning 17 of Trump\u2019s fellow Republicans would have to vote against him. A conviction would clear the way for a second vote, requiring a simply majority, to bar Trump from holding office again.<\/p>\n
A Reuters\/Ipsos poll released on Friday found a slim majority of Americans believe Trump should be convicted and barred from holding public office. The responses were almost entirely along party lines, with nine out of 10 Democrats wanting Trump convicted and less than two in 10 Republicans agreeing.<\/p>\n
Trump has said he may seek the presidency again in 2024. His fate could depend on McConnell, whose position is likely to influence other Republicans. McConnell said this week that the mob that attacked the Capitol was \u201cfed lies\u201d and \u201cprovoked by the president and other powerful people.\u201d<\/p> White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters earlier in the day that the Senate should be able to move forward with both the trial and Biden\u2019s agenda, beginning with his call for $1.9 trillion of fresh COVID-19 assistance for Americans and the U.S. economy.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat cannot be delayed through this process is his proposal to get relief to the American people at this time of crisis,\u201d Psaki said.<\/p> Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump, said the agreement between Schumer and McConnell was \u201cfair to all concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt allows the president\u2019s defense team adequate time to prepare and for the sake of the country, it moves the process forward,\u201d Graham said.<\/p>\n Senate rules had called for an impeachment trial to begin at 1 p.m. on the day after the single article of impeachment was delivered to Senate, except for Sundays.<\/p>\n The deal came even as Schumer and McConnell struggled to assert control in a chamber divided 50-50, with Democrats holding a majority thanks to Vice President Kamala Harris\u2019 tie-breaking vote.<\/p>\n McConnell has insisted that Democrats provide a guarantee that they will not end what is known as the legislative filibuster, which enables the minority Republicans to put up procedural hurdles for legislation sought by Biden.<\/p>\n Schumer rejected McConnell\u2019s demand on Friday as \u201cunacceptable.\u201d Schumer became the chamber\u2019s leader this week after Democrats won two Georgia U.S. Senate runoff elections earlier in the month.<\/p>\nBIDEN\u2019S AGENDA<\/h2>\n