Impeachment II: The Sequel
| EDITOR'S NOTE
Hello,
This is CNBC politics reporter Kevin Breuninger, filling in for Mike Calia.
Today marks the start of Donald Trump's impeachment trial – again. Despite the high likelihood of acquittal in an evenly divided Senate, Democratic House managers are charging ahead toward their goal of convicting Trump for inciting last month's deadly invasion of the U.S. Capitol – in their words, "the most grievous constitutional crime ever committed by a President."
Ask the Biden administration talk about it, however, and you might come away feeling they consider the whole thing to be a bit of a nuisance.
Trump's second impeachment trial is set to kick off nearly three weeks after President Joe Biden swooped into office, championing a message of national unity and vowing to take seismic, immediate action to defeat the coronavirus pandemic and strengthen an economy flashing warning signs.
Biden was, and is, clearly looking to punt the Trump era deep into the past. He wasted no time signing a suite of executive orders to cancel or hobble many of Trump's signature policies, and he's ramping up pressure on Congress to quickly pass his massive Covid relief package.
But with impeachment on the front burner, the Senate's time and focus are, at best, divided between Biden's agenda and his predecessor's lingering controversies.
Asked Tuesday morning about the trial, White House communications director Kate Bedingfield made clear where Biden's trained his sights. "He's going to stay focused on doing the business of the American people while we let the Senate handle its business this week," she said on MSNBC.
The trial starts this afternoon, with Democrats and Trump's lawyers each making their case for whether the Senate has jurisdiction under the Constitution to try the case. A subsequent vote on that question is certain to pass, but look out for GOP senators to focus on the process, rather than on Trump's conduct, throughout the trial.
Follow along with CNBC.com's live coverage of the impeachment trial this afternoon and over the next several days.
Thoughts? Email Politics Editor Mike Calia at CNBCPolitics@nbcuni.com.
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