Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that the House’s article of impeachment will be delivered to the Senate on Monday, triggering the start of the Senate’s impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump.
“I have spoken to Speaker Pelosi who informed me that the articles will be delivered to the Senate on Monday,” Schumer just said on the Senate floor.
The House’s transmission of the impeachment article on Monday would mean that the Senate trial would begin at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday – unless the Senate reaches an agreement that would push back the trial itself
Here’s an outline of what would happen next on impeachment, according to multiple Democratic sources.
- Monday: The article read by the managers
- Tuesday: The presiding officer (maybe Chief Justice Roberts, maybe Patrick Leahy) and members as jurors are sworn in.
- Wednesday: Arguments could begin.
How long will the trial last? That is an open question. Most believe it will be a shorter trial than in 2020, which lasted 21 days. But it will depend on questions from senators and whether there will be witnesses or not.
It’s possible that arguments could be delayed if there’s a deal between Schumer and McConnell.
Also, the Senate has to adopt a resolution to set the rules of the trial. That will happen at the beginning of the week. Schumer’s goal is to do this on a bipartisan basis, but they can adopt it by a simple majority of 51 senators.