President Biden’s message to Senate Democratic leaders on former President Trump
Donald TrumpPalm Beach Reviewing Trump’s Right of Residence at Mar-a-Lago Immigration Reform Can’t Wait for the Money: Five Questions About the GameStop Controversy | Biden, Yellen calls for faster action on new aid MORE‘s forthcoming process of accusation is clear: keep it short and do not let it derail its agenda.
Biden never accepted Trump’s second accusation, although he also did not want to stand in the way of outrage in his party over the former president’s involvement in the January 6 mob attack on the Capitol.
Yet he and his team have always been aware of the risks of a trial so early in his term, as he wants to reach an agreement with a $ 1.9 billion coronavirus relief package.
It’s also clearer now that it was two weeks ago that the accusation would not end with Trump’s conviction.
It was discussed early on, but a vote in the Senate this week in which only five Republicans voted against a motion calling the trial unconstitutional ensured that the Senate would not win the two-thirds vote for conviction. not.
Biden administration officials and allies near the White House say the president will distance himself from Trump’s trial as it begins in the second week of February.
“He’s going to get the Senate to do what he has to do,” said one Biden ally near the White House. “We always knew it was going to happen. We always knew this would be the position we were in now with Republicans. And now he’s going to respect the process and let it play out. ”
The indictment carries some risks for Biden, and some Democrats have warned it could torpedo its early agenda.
The best thing for Biden, now that a conviction for Trump seems off the table, is that the trial begins and ends so the Senate can quickly return to more full-time work on legislation and the confirmation of Biden nominees.
“He came to the White House with a strong message of unity, and the last thing he wants is for the indictment to define the early days of his presidency,” said one ally.
According to sources, Biden and his advisers regularly contacted Democratic leaders in Congress, and some members of Biden’s inner circle threw their support behind accusations.
After the January 6 at the Capitol, Cedric Richmond
Cedric RichmondWhite House Full on COVID-19 Emergency Relief Talks Congress Attacking Congress Divided – and a People Pelosi to Put Iowa Republican as Democratic Challenger, Election Results MORE, who resigned from Congress to become a senior adviser to Biden, expressed immediate support for the indictment, according to a source familiar with the internal discussions in Biden’s team.
But several prominent Democrats in both chambers expressed concern early in the process about a Senate trial delaying Biden’s agenda. They predicted that only a few Republican senators would eventually vote to convict Trump.
“We already know what the outcome is before it starts, and it’s frustrating for everyone,” a Senate Democratic aide said after this week’s vote on the motion sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul
Randal (Rand) Howard Paul The seventeenth amendment and censorship of Donald Trump Where’s Barry Goldwater’s Republican Party when we need it? Paul says the absence of Roberts’ more ‘crystallized’ argument against Trump’s accusation (R-Ky.).
House Majority Whip James Clyburn (DS.C.), a key ally of Biden whose support in the 2020 election was crucial, pleaded to wait for Biden’s first 100 days in office before submitting an article of accusation to the Senate sent.
About the Capitol, Sens. Tim Kaine
Timothy (Tim) Michael Kaine How McConnell derailed Trump’s indictment before it began in Kaine’s eyes next week to file a no-confidence motion to ban Trump from the future office of The Hill’s Morning Report – Dems questioning; January becomes MORE the deadliest pandemic month (D-Va.) En Chris Murphy
Christopher (Chris) Scott Murphy How McConnell derailed Trump’s indictment before it began with Schumer vows to continue with Trump trial despite setback The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden: Focus on vaccine, virus, travel MORE (D-Conn.) Expressed concern that the confirmation of Biden’s cabinet nominees and the relocation of a COVID-19 aid package should be the highest priorities.
Murphy said: “My point privately was not necessarily that we did not have to hold a hearing, but that we needed a few weeks to get the cabinet in place and to get COVID [relief] move. ”
Kaine said Friday he had earlier expressed concern about “the possible outcome” of a trial.
“I felt just as outrageous as the behavior, and just as much as responsibility is needed, I just did not see a way for Republicans to get 17 votes to convict,” he said. ‘I thought about it as soon as the House started doing it.
He said ‘the urgent need is COVID relief and I know Chuck feels that way too’, he added, referring to the leader of the Senate majority Charles Schumer
Chuck Schumer Immigration reform can not wait Psaki expects the DHS-nominated Mayorkas to be the head of the task force to reunite divorced families. Biden DHS chooses progress in the Senate, which removes the Republican hurdle more. (DN.Y.).
Sen. Joe Manchin
Joseph (Joe) ManchinJoe Manchin could show the Senate a better way to get Democrats ready to bypass Republicans on the COVID-19 bill on money: the economy shrank 3.5% by 2020 | Lawmakers tear up Robinhood’s decision on GameStop | Budget rules, politics threaten MORE per hour minimum wage (DW.Va.) said on January 10 that an indictment will be heard when Trump is no longer in office “has no common sense at all.”
Biden has never said anything critical about the trial in public.
In fact, he told CNN earlier this week he thought “this should happen.”
Immediately after the riot, Biden indicated that the decision was for lawmakers.
“What Congress decides to do is that they decide,” Biden said on January 8.
He said he understood what the impact of accusation could be on his upcoming legislative agenda, but warned that there could be a worse effect if that did not happen. ‘
Kaine discussed with colleagues last week what he calls a resolution of condemnation that could later impose a ban on the 14th Amendment on anyone involved in the uprising or rebellion.
He said the goal was to establish factual findings about Trump inciting insurgency and providing aid and comfort to enemies of the United States.
Kaine said he shares his proposal with Sen. Chris Coons
Chris Andrew Coons Hawley filed ethical charges against seven Democratic senators. Moderates promise to be a ‘power’ among Biden Democrats seek answers over the impact of the Russian cyber attack on the Justice Department, Courts MORE (D-Del.), One of Biden’s closest allies of the Senate.
Democrats now realize that Republicans will only give political ammunition to question the point of a public hearing and that they must dutifully steel themselves to put through a second indictment in just over a year, even if the result is predetermined.
‘It’s a process where the House does it and sends the papers, [in] the Senate has our hands tied, ”Kaine said.
He added that his Democratic colleagues “want to see how the trial unfolds” before discussing his resolution of condemnation.