Chuck Schumer Obliterates McConnell’s Lie That The Senate Can’t Be Called Back In To Convict Trump

Majority Leader Elect Chuck Schumer made it clear that Mitch McConnell is lying about his inability to call the Senate into session to convict Trump.

Video:

Schumer (D-NY) said:

The technique Trump is using is used by the worst dictators the globe has ever seen. Donald Trump should not hold office one day longer. And what we saw in his statements today is proof positive of that, if you needed any further proof, which I didn’t. As I’ve said, if he won’t resign, and Vice President Pence and the cabinet won’t invoke the 25th amendment, he will be impeached by the house. And as the law requires, tried by the senate. Okay. Now, about the senate trial. So leader Mcconnell is saying he can’t call the senate back after the House votes for impeachment because it requires unanimous consent, the consent of every senator.

That’s not true. There was legislation passed in 2004 that allows the senate minority leader and majority leader to jointly reconvene the Senate in time of emergency. This is a time of emergency. McConnell claims he needs unanimous consent. The agreement of all hundred senators, but it’s not so. I’ve asked him to call the Senate back, all he needs is my agreement. I’m still minority leader. And his agreement. He’s majority leader. And we can come back asap. And vote to convict Donald Trump and get him out of office now, before any further damage is done. The legislation that passed in 2004 puts a dagger through the heart of this idea that you need unanimous consent for every senator to call back the office.

Schumer is intending on using a little known post-9/11 authority
that allows the Senate to be called back into session if he and Mitch McConnell agree.

McConnell is lying about what he can and can’t do, but the question remains. Even if the Senate came back into session tomorrow, would there be enough time to convict and remove Trump? It is possible, but it would be a tight timeline and all it would take is a few of Trump’s Senate allies to gum up the works and allow him to run out the clock on his term.

The Senate should be called back into session, no matter what, because Trump showed with his remarks on Tuesday morning that he is intent on fomenting more violence and making the situation worse.

Trump has to go, and for the sake of the country, the sooner the better.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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