Supervisor Elham AbolFateh
Editor in Chief Mohamed Wadie

Trump Lawyer Asks to Delay Impeachment Trial


Sun 07 Feb 2021 | 10:54 AM
Omnia Ahmed

The Senate is set to accommodate a request from one of Donald Trump's attorneys to halt his impeachment trial during the Jewish Sabbath, New York Times reported on Sunday.

"We respect their request and of course will accommodate it. Conversations with the relevant parties about the structure of the trial continue," Justin Goodman, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stated.

In a letter, Lawyer David Schoen hoped for pausing the trial if it is not finished by the beginning of the Sabbath at 5:24 p.m. on Friday and then reconvene on Sunday.

There would need to be an agreement among senators to hold the trial on a Sunday, as it is scheduled to begin Tuesday

"I apologize for the inconvenience my request that impeachment proceedings not be conducted during the Jewish Sabbath undoubtedly will cause other people involved in the proceedings," Schoen said in the letter obtained by the Times.

"The practices and prohibitions are mandatory for me, however; so, respectfully, I have no choice but to make this request."

Schoen's letter was sent to Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, as well as to Democratic Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, the president pro tempore of the Senate who will preside over the trial.

Trump is likely to be acquitted by the Senate for the second time, falling well short of the two-thirds votes needed for conviction.

On the other hand, US President Joe Biden affirmed that Trump should not have access to any intelligence briefings due to his “erratic behavior.”

Asked if the former President should get the briefings, Biden replied: “I think not.”

“Because of his erratic behavior unrelated to the insurrection,” Biden clarified during an interview with CBS Evening News, referring to the 6 January storming of the US Capitol by Trump’s supporters.