Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said that Donald Trump's Senate trial will not take place until after Joe Biden is sworn in on January 20.
This comes after the historic news that President Trump has been impeached for a second time after the House of Representatives secured enough votes to charge with "inciting violence" against the U.S. government.
Donald Trump will now face a trial in the Senate where, if convicted, he will be prevented from ever running for president again, BBC News reports.
However, Mitch McConnell has said in a statement, cited by CNN, that he believes "it will best serve our nation if Congress and the executive branch spend the next seven days completely focused on facilitating a safe inauguration and an orderly transfer of power to the incoming Biden Administration."
Read the full statement below:
"The House of Representatives has voted to impeach the President. The Senate process will now begin at our first regular meeting following receipt of the article from the House.
"Given the rules, procedures, and Senate precedents that govern presidential impeachment trials, there is simply no chance that a fair or serious trial could conclude before President-elect Biden is sworn in next week. The Senate has held three presidential impeachment trials. They have lasted 83 days, 37 days, and 21 days respectively.
"Even if the Senate process were to begin this week and move promptly, no final verdict would be reached until after President Trump had left office. This is not a decision I am making; it is a fact. The President-elect himself stated last week that his inauguration on January 20 is the 'quickest' path for any change in the occupant of the presidency.
"In light of this reality, I believe it will best serve our nation if Congress and the executive branch spend the next seven days completely focused on facilitating a safe inauguration and an orderly transfer of power to the incoming Biden Administration. I am grateful to the offices and institutions within the Capitol that are working around the clock, alongside federal and local law enforcement, to prepare for a safe and successful inauguration at the Capitol next Wednesday."
This will allow Trump to serve out the rest of his presidency in office.
However, while the trial is not set to take place until after Biden's inauguration, Senator Ed Markey has argued that it should be brought forward.
He wrote: "Accountability for Donald Trump cannot wait. He is a direct and continued threat to our democracy. Mitch McConnell must bring the Senate back immediately to begin an impeachment trial."
Additionally, in response to McConnell's letter, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has said in a statement:
"A Senate trial can begin immediately, with agreement from the current Senate majority leader to reconvene the Senate for an emergency session, or it will begin after January 19.
"But make no mistake, there will be an impeachment trial in the United States Senate; there will be a vote on convicting the president for high crimes and misdemeanors; and if the president is convicted, there will be a vote on barring him from running again."
As per ABC News, the vote to impeach Trump was passed today by the House of Representatives with the count currently standing at 225-194.
CNN has also reported that the ten Republicans who voted in favor of the impeachment resolution are as follows:
- Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington
- Rep. John Katko of New York
- Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington
- Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois
- Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan
- Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming
- Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan
- Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio
- Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina
- Rep. David Valadao of California
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