Perhaps Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, has a real bone to pick with former president Donald Trump—or he was just happy to have been installed as Senate majority leader.
Either way Schumer’s speech on the Senate floor Friday morning signaled hard times ahead for Republicans who hoped new President Joe Biden’s recent calls for “unity” might prevail.
“Make no mistake, there will be a trial, and when that trial ends, senators will have to decide if they believe Donald John Trump incited the erection,” Schumer said, as reported by Breitbart.
It is believed to be the first time the word has come up in the context of impeachment for at least 22 years.
Schumer quickly corrected the Freudian slip and instead clarified that he mean “insurrection.”
He said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., planned to deliver the article of impeachment to the Senate on Monday.
Late Friday, he announced that members would then be sworn in on Tuesday, but that the presentations would not commence until Feb. 8.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., had earlier proposed a two-week period for both Trump’s legal team and House impeachment managers to prepare the case, particularly given the unprecedented speed with which the House rammed through its motion.
It was unclear whether Schumer, too, was eager to see Chief Justice John Roberts pound his gavel once again.
However, some Democrats may have supported the delay to allow the Senate to proceed with its confirmations of Biden’s Cabinet nominees in the interim.
At least one of those—Homeland Security pick Alejandro Mayorkas, will require a full hearing due to Republican objections.
Some have likewise expressed reservations about the qualifications of Health and Human Services pick Xavier Becerra.
But regardless of whether it goes fast or slow, Schumer clearly appeared to be aroused by the prospect of barring Trump from running for re-election in 2024.
He previously denounced the Jan. 6 uprising at the US Capitol as a “stain” on the country—the first time that word had been used in the context of impeachment for at least 22 years.
