Democrats are divided about the timing of former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate, worried it could hamstring President Biden's ability to implement his agenda in the early days of his administration.
President Biden began his term in office with a message of unity, expressing a desire to move past the rancorous division in the United States and bring people together, while Congress remains set to carry out an impeachment trial for former President Donald Trump.
The Constitution says that in impeachments for presidents, the chief justice of the Supreme Court is the presiding officer. For lesser impeachments, the presiding officer has been the same as for other Senate business — either the vice president or a senator. The Constitution is not clear on who should preside over impeachments for former presidents.
The Senate is back in town Tuesday for a slate of confirmation hearings on Biden Cabinet nominees, even as there are not yet clear agreements on how the body will handle the impending Trump impeachment trial or its new 50-50 party split.
Among the litany of challenges that will confront President-elect Joe Biden when he assumes office Wednesday -- including the coronavirus pandemic, emboldened enemies like Iran, and confirming critical nominees amid a Trump impeachment trial -- will be handling a large migrant caravan currently making its way to America's southern border.
The news media landscape is about to shift from years of covering President Donald Trump to the new administration of President-elect Joe Biden, said Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume on Monday.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., argued on Sunday that pursuing the impeachment of President Trump after he leaves office will ruin the start of Joe Biden's presidency and urged the president-elect to “stand down.”
President Trump's Senate impeachment trial could hamper President-elect Joe Biden's congressional agenda in the first days of his presidency if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi transmits the article to the upper chamber before the inauguration, Republicans warn as Biden himself acknowledges concerns over lawmakers dealing with both.
After the House voted to impeach President Trump Wednesday, President-elect Biden said the chamber had held the president "accountable" and asked the Senate to do their "constitutional responsibilities" on impeachment – along with "other urgent business."