Trump’s impeachment trial to start week of February 8

WASHINGTON (AP) – Opening pleadings in Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial over the Capitol Riot will begin the week of February 8, the first time a former president will face such charges after he left office.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the schedule on Friday night after reaching a deal with Republicans, who had been pushing for a deadline to give Trump a chance to organize his legal team and prepare a defense under the sole charge of incitement to insurrection.

The February start date also gives the Senate more time to confirm President Joe Biden’s Cabinet appointments and review his proposed $ 1.9 trillion COVID relief plan – top priorities for the New White House agenda that could be blocked during the trial.

“We all want to leave behind this horrible chapter in our country’s history,” Schumer said of the deadly Jan.6 siege on Capitol Hill by a crowd of pro-Trump supporters.

“But healing and unity will only come if there is truth and accountability. And that’s what this trial will provide.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will send out the article of impeachment on Monday evening, with senators sworn in as jurors on Tuesday. But the opening arguments will be moved to February.

Trump’s impeachment trial would be the first of an out-of-office U.S. president, a business that his Republican allies in the Senate say is unnecessary and potentially even unconstitutional. Democrats say they must hold Trump to account, even as they pursue Biden’s legislative priorities, due to the gravity of what happened – a violent attack on the US Congress aimed at overturning an election .

If Trump is found guilty, the Senate could vote to prevent him from taking office again, which could jeopardize his chances of a political return.

The urgency for Democrats to hold Trump accountable has been complicated by the need to put Biden’s government in place and quickly start working on his coronavirus aid program.

“The more time we have to get up and running … the better,” Biden said in a brief comment to reporters on Friday.

Republicans were eager to delay the trial, putting distance between the shocking events of the siege and the votes that will test their loyalty to the former president who still holds the attention of voters.

Negotiations between Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have been complicated, as the two are also in talks on a power-sharing deal for the Senate, which is split 50-50 but under Democratic control because Vice President Kamala Harris serves as a tiebreaker. vote.

McConnell had offered to delay the start and welcomed the deal.

“Republicans have decided to ensure that the next steps in the Senate respect the rights and due process of former President Trump, the Senate institution and the office of the President,” McConnell spokesman said. , Doug Andres. “This goal has been achieved.”

Pelosi said Friday that the nine House impeachment officials, or prosecutors, were “ready to start arguing” against Trump. Trump’s team will have had the same amount of time since the House impeachment vote to prepare, Pelosi said.

Democrats say they can move quickly through the trial, potentially without a witness, as lawmakers experienced the insurgency firsthand.

One of the directors, California Representative Ted Lieu, said on Friday that Democrats would rather be working on politics right now, but “we can’t just ignore” what happened on January 6.

“It was an attack on our Capitol by a violent mob,” Lieu said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It was an attack on our nation launched by our commander-in-chief. We need to fix that and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

Trump, who told his supporters to “fight like hell” just before invading Capitol Hill two weeks ago and halting the electoral vote count, is still assembling his legal team.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki returned the timing of the trial to Congress on Friday and did not say whether Biden thinks Trump should be sentenced. But she said lawmakers could simultaneously discuss and hold hearings on Biden’s coronavirus relief program.

“We don’t think it can be delayed or waited, so they’re going to have to find a way forward,” Psaki said of helping the virus. “He’s convinced they can do it.”

Democrats would need the support of at least 17 Republicans to condemn Trump, a bar high. While most Republican senators condemned Trump’s actions that day, far fewer appear ready to condemn.

A handful of Senate Republicans have indicated they are open – but not committed – to condemnation. But most have come to Trump’s defense on impeachment, saying they believe a trial will be divisive and question the legality of trying a president after he leaves.

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump who was helping him find lawyers, said on Friday that there was “a very compelling constitutional case” on whether Trump could be impeached afterwards his tenure – a claim Democrats reject, saying there is ample legal. previous. Graham also suggested that Republicans would argue that Trump’s words on January 6 were not legally an “incitement.”

“Based on the facts, they will be able to mount a defense, so the main thing is to give him a chance to prepare and conduct the trial in order, and I hope the Senate rejects the idea of sue presidents after they leave, ”Graham said.

Other Republicans had stronger words, suggesting there should be no trials. Wyoming Senator John Barrasso said Pelosi was sending Biden a message: “My hatred and vitriol towards Donald Trump is so strong that I’m going to stop even you and your cabinet from doing anything.” Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson has suggested Democrats choose “retribution” over national security as Biden tries to put his government in place.

McConnell, who said this week that Trump “provoked” his supporters before the riot, did not say how he would vote. He said Senate Republicans “strongly believe that we need a full and fair process where the former president can mount a defense and the Senate can properly consider factual, legal and constitutional issues.”

Trump, the first president to be impeached twice, is at a disadvantage in his first impeachment trial, in which he had all the resources of the White House board office to defend him. Graham helped Trump hire South Carolina lawyer Butch Bowers after members of its former legal teams indicated they had no plans to join the new effort.

___

Associated Press editors Aamer Madhani in Washington, Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, and Jill Colvin in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.