Biden Says He Will Delay Trump Trial

President Joe Biden on Friday said that he would be open to waiting until next month to begin the Senate impeachment trial of former President Donald J. Trump, stating that it would allow more time to get his own administration “up and running.”

Joe Biden said he had not seen the specifics of the proposal from Mitch McConnell to begin the trial in February, but “the more time we have to get up and running and meet these crises, the better.”

“I do think that having some time to get our administration up and running — I want to thank the Senate for passing out our secretary of Defense, it looks like our secretary of Treasury, our secretary of State is in place,” he said, though only the head of the Pentagon has officially been confirmed.

Only two of Biden’s Cabinet members have been confirmed by the Senate: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked multiple times during the press briefing on Friday whether the Biden admin is concerned about how impeachment could complicate its agenda. She repeatedly said President Biden and his team “believed in” the Senate and are confident the body can handle all of the responsibilities.

A minority of Senate Democrats, have doubts about delaying the trial, saying that former President Donald Trump should be held accountable for what they say was his inciting violence at the United States Capitol Building.

17 Senate Republicans would need to vote in favor of convicting Trump for him to be found guilty. If he’s convicted, he could be prevented form holding office again in a simple majority vote.

Many Republicans, including Mitch McConnell, say they are undecided on whether to convict former President Donald Trump.

Sources: The Washington Post, Time, Associated Press, and The Guardian; Photo: Getty Images