As Donald Trump settles back into civilian life outside of the White House, his next obstacle is getting through the upcoming Senate impeachment trial in one piece. We reported earlier that he has already hired a prominent defense attorney by the name of Butch Bowers to represent him.
Now, the country waits as the House reportedly will transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate on Friday. However, it now appears that Senate Republicans are attempting to delay the trial in order to give Trump a few weeks to prepare a proper defense.
Reuters has the story:
Republicans in the U.S. Senate on Thursday asked Democrats to put off the start of former President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial until mid-February, to give him time to prepare a defense against charges of inciting insurrection.
That move came 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.
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Trump, a Republican, left office on Wednesday and flew to his Florida resort, hours before Democrat Joe Biden was sworn in.
Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell asked Democrat to hold off on sending the charge until Jan. 28 and give Trump two weeks from that day to prepare a defense. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office did not immediately respond to a question about McConnell’s proposal.
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 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.
Given how ridiculously fast the House filed and passed the articles of impeachment against the former president, it only stands to reason that the least Democrats can do is give Trump a few solid weeks to mount a proper defense, as the Constitution provides him the right to do.
He may be out of office, but we most certainly have seen the last of Donald Trump.