Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
While the House of Representatives debates approving an article of impeachment against Donald Trump for last week’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building, The Hill reports Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has informed Democrats he will not be bringing the Senate back into session before its currently scheduled date of January 19.
McConnell said in a memo circulated to colleagues last week that the Senate will not be able to handle business on the floor until senators are scheduled to return to Washington on Jan. 19 unless all 100 senators agree to reconvene sooner.
The memo stated that unless there is unanimous consent from senators, Trump’s impeachment trial would not be allowed to begin until 1 p.m. on Jan. 20, at which time Joe Bidenwill have been sworn in as president.
In that case, any trial against Trump would not begin until around the time of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
CBS News reports that McConnell supports the impeachment maneuver but doesn’t want to address it until the article of impeachment is approved and sent to the Senate.
At least 10 Republican senators have spoken out against impeaching Pres. Trump a second time. A person close to Mitch McConnell tells CBS News he supports impeachment but won’t publicly discuss his views until the House formally sends impeachment article https://t.co/AOSBKrUbre pic.twitter.com/xtoFubPW9j
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 13, 2021
Mitch McConnell has decided not to interrupt his vacation to deal with a seditious President.
— Joe Lockhart (@joelockhart) January 13, 2021
Mitch McConnell could get a Supreme Court judge confirmed in the time it takes me to type this. But can’t call Senate back for impeachment vote?
— Jeneen Interlandi (@JInterlandi) January 13, 2021
Republican Senate leaders were blindsided Tuesday by their leader, Mitch McConnell, when the New York Times broke news he was “pleased” about the impending impeachment of President Trump, @NBCNews has learned
— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) January 13, 2021
