Mitch McConnell proposes delay in Donald Trump's impeachment, backs full and fair process

US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on January 21 proposed a delay until mid-February in the second historic impeachment trial of the former US President Donald Trump for him to assemble his legal team after the Senate receives the article. McConnell sent the proposal to Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer has further pushed the timing of the trial into further doubt even though it is still up to Democrats if they choose to go along with the plan. The House Democrats can still send the impeachment article over to the Senate and then begin the trial the very next day. 

In a statement, McConnell said that he wants to structure the impeachment trial in a way that the ceremonial functions including the formal reading of the article would take place next week on January 28. This would allow the former republican US President to have another week as McConnell has proposed to answer the article by February 4.

In the next week, Trump’s legal team would submit a pre-trial brief, before the starting of the trial. The House would also be submitting the briefs over those two weeks as trial gets underway in February.

Touting his proposal, McConnell said, “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.”

“At this time of strong political passions, Senate Republicans believe it is absolutely imperative that we do not allow a half-baked process to short-circuit the due process that former President Trump deserves or damage the Senate or the presidency,” he added.

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‘Not unifying to forget’ says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Meanwhile, Speaker of House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi has dismissed the critics who were saying that moving forward with Trump’s impeachment trial will contradict the message of unity that is proposed by the newly minted US President Joe Biden. Addressing the matter, Pelosi said, “I don't think it's very unifying to say oh, let's just forget it and move on. That's not how you unify.” However, while talking to CNN,  Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat expressed that Democrats "will be open to considering a delay" for trump to have time and assemble a legal team.

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