Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is proposing to new Majority leader Chuck Schumer that the impeachment trial for former president Donald Trump should be held in February.
According to CBS News, a spokesperson for Schumer explained that McConnell’s proposal is being reviewed.
"We received Leader McConnell's proposal that only deals with pre-trial motions late this afternoon. We will review it and discuss it with him," the spokesperson said Thursday.
McConnell’s proposed timeline calls for House impeachment managers to read the article before the Senate. He added that senators should be able to swear into the court of impeachment by Thursday, Jan. 28. Then Trump would have a week to respond to the article and the House's pre-trial brief by Feb. 4.
Following the first response to the article, Trump would have another week to submit a response to the pre-trial brief by Feb 11.
“Senate Republicans are strongly united behind the principle that the institution of the Senate, the office of the presidency, and former President Trump himself all deserve a full and fair process that respects his rights and the serious factual, legal, and constitutional questions at stake," McConnell said in a statement.
"Given the unprecedented speed of the House's process, our proposed timeline for the initial phases includes a modest and reasonable amount of additional time for both sides to assemble their arguments before the Senate would begin to hear them," he continued.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who met with McConnell on Thursday, praised the move to postpone the trial until February.
“We looked at historically pre-trial periods,” Graham told reporters. “The difference is there was really no input in the House, it was a snap impeachment. But when you look at the time periods involved, it's very similar to what we've done in the past."
He confirmed that attorney Butch Bowers will join the Trump legal team as “the anchor tenant”.
“The president looks forward to getting this behind him," Graham continued. "Believes it's unconstitutional and damages his presidency, but you know, he's gonna' have his day in court and that's the way the system works."
At the present time, the Senate is working to confirm President Joe Biden’s nominees. On Thursday, Democratic Senator Chris Coons told CNN that the trial could be delayed if the confirmation of nominees remains in progress.
“I think Democrats will be open to considering a delay that allows former President Trump time to assemble his legal team and his defense for the impeachment trial if we are making progress on confirming the very talented, seasoned, and diverse team President Joe Biden has nominated to serve in his Cabinet," Coons said.
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Drew Angerer/Staff
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
