There’s been a lot of bad information out there about how McConnell is going to get together with Schumer and use an emergency authority to bring back to the Senate to begin a trial this week.
This is not going to happen:
NEWS —> McConnell’s office called Schumer’s people today + told them McConnell would not consent to reconvening immediately under the 2004 emergency authorities, a person familiar says. So the Senate won’t reconvene Friday, or almost certainly before Jan. 19. Trial in Biden term
— Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) January 13, 2021
It’s easy for people to demand that things happen “right now” on Twitter, but that is not how it works in real life. A Senate trial is no small thing. The Chief Justice has to preside and, of course, the security situation at the Capitol is tricky at the moment.
My understanding is that, after all the understandable speculation brought on by the New York Times report yesterday about McConnell being pleased that the House is impeaching Trump, McConnell will try to bring a little more clarity in a communication with his fellow Republicans this afternoon, both on the process and on the merits.
But it’s safe to say that at this point McConnell detests Trump and wants a break with him in advance of the war that is going to be fought in Republican primaries all over the country next year.