The United States Senate’s party leaders are reportedly close to making a deal on former President Donald Trump‘s second impeachment trial. Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer and Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell lead the two parties, which are split 50/50 right now — though Schumer is considered the majority leader since the vice president can also vote in the Senate. According to a report by The Hill, Schumer announced the impending deal in a press conference.
“We are finalizing a resolution that’s been agreed to by all parties … that will ensure a fair, honest, bipartisan Senate impeachment trial,” Schumer said from his home state of New York. He said that further details on this deal will be released on Monday, and the Senate may start the impeachment trial on Tuesday. Trump has already been impeached by the House of Representatives, leaving it up to the Senate to convict him or acquit him. Trump is charged with incitement of insurrection over the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
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Under this new deal, the Senate would reportedly start Trump’s trial on Tuesday, beginning with four hours of debate. That would likely include a vote on whether it is constitutional for the U.S. Congress to impeach a president who has left office — a question that has been answered several times in U.S. history already. Still, Republicans making this case prove that there are not enough votes to convict Trump, nor are those lawmakers willing to stand behind his actions.
Opening arguments in the impeachment trial would then begin on Wednesday at noon when House impeachment managers and Trump’s legal team would present their opening statements. The two sides would reportedly have 16 hours to make their cases. One of Trump’s attorneys has requested that the trial not be conducted on Saturday, so it would pause for that day and resume on Sunday afternoon. This would be an observance of the Jewish Sabbath.
The Senate may still need to debate whether either side will be allowed to call witnesses in this trial. In Trump’s last impeachment, Republicans held the majority in the Senate and they blocked all witnesses from testifying at his trial. It is not clear whether witnesses would be allowed this time around.
“If the managers decide they want witnesses, there will be a vote on that. That’s what they requested. They weren’t sure they wanted witnesses. They wanted to preserve the option,” Schumer said. He is expected to release more information in the hours to come.
