On Wednesday, the House voted to impeach outgoing President Trump a second time after his supporters attacked the Capitol building last week. Trump will now face a second impeachment trial before the Senate — but that won't happen until the body reconvenes just a day before President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Wednesday.
"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 Biden is sworn in, McConnell said in a statement. "Even if the Senate process were to begin this week and move promptly, no decision would be reached until after President Trump had left office. That is not a decision I am making. That is a fact," McConnell continued, citing how previous Senate impeachment trials lasted weeks. Therefore, McConnell said, he would like Congress and the executive branch to remain "completely focused on facilitating a safe and orderly transfer of power."
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