Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the sole article of impeachment against President Trump will be delivered to the Senate on Monday, a move that would trigger preparations for a Senate trial against the now former president.
"The Senate will conduct a trial on the impeachment of Donald Trump," Schumer said Friday on the Senate floor. "It will be a fair trial. But make no mistake, there will be a trial."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who must deliver the article, has not yet publicly commented on the timing of such a move.
Democrats are Republicans are still negotiating on the details of an impeachment resolution that would set out the rules for a Senate trial – including details on how long it would last, what votes or motions would be in order, and other factors. On Thursday, Pelosi declined to say when she would send the article approved by the House over, but suggested she was waiting for an agreement between Schumer and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on how the trial would work.
McConnell told Senate Republicans on a call Thursday that he is pushing give the president's defense team a couple of weeks to prepare and asking Schumer to agree to start the trial in February. Schumer has not agreed to this timeline and it's unclear whether he would back it.
Separately Jason Miller, a political aide to Trump tweeted that Butch Bowers, a South Carolina defense attorney, has joined the president's defense team. It's unclear who else will be part of that team.
Earlier this month, the House voted to impeach Trump for his role in provoking the Capitol riot on Jan. 6.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. 9(MDAyNDY5MjM1MDEyODE2MzMyMTZmZDQwMg001))
