Call your two Senators about the upcoming trial to remove Trump, and ask them to do so when the time comes.
If you prefer to cut to the chase, scroll down to the bottom for the Senate calling script.
On January 13, 2021, the House of Representatives voted in favor of impeaching Donald Trump on a charge of incitement of insurrection.
NPR published the full list of how everyone voted. See it here:
The single article of Impeachment has now moved to the Senate.
Within minutes of the House’s vote to impeach, GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released a statement that repeated that the earliest the removal trial could begin in the chamber would be Tuesday, January 19, 2021. [The Senate is in recess and McConnell won’t call them back.]
We’ll drop the link below, but it’s short enough to reproduce in full:
“The House of Representatives has voted to impeach the President. The Senate process will now begin at our first regular meeting following receipt of the article from the House.
“Given the rules, procedures, and Senate precedents that govern presidential impeachment trials, there is simply no chance that a fair or serious trial could conclude before President-elect Biden is sworn in next week. The Senate has held three presidential impeachment trials. They have lasted 83 days, 37 days, and 21 days respectively.
“Even if the Senate process were to begin this week and move promptly, no final verdict would be reached until after President Trump had left office. This is not a decision I am making; it is a fact. The President-elect himself stated last week that his inauguration on January 20 is the ‘quickest’ path for any change in the occupant of the presidency.
“In light of this reality, I believe it will best serve our nation if Congress and the executive branch spend the next seven days completely focused on facilitating a safe inauguration and an orderly transfer of power to the incoming Biden Administration. I am grateful to the offices and institutions within the Capitol that are working around the clock, alongside federal and local law enforcement, to prepare for a safe and successful inauguration at the Capitol next Wednesday.”
Link to McConnell’s statement: https://www.republicanleader.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/mcconnell-statement-on-senate-schedule-jan-2021
Others on Twitter have pointed out the advantages in being forced to idle.
It gives more time for facts about the events of January 6 to come out.
On January 13, Democratic Massachusetts House Rep Ayanna Pressley, one of the four who belong to “the Squad”, revealed that when she and her staffers barricaded themselves into her office, they discovered that the panic buttons had been pulled out.
Story on same: https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2021/01/13/ayanna-pressley-office-panic-buttons
New Jersey House Rep Mikie Sherrill called for an investigation into tours of the Capitol she witnessed on January 5 and described as “reconnaissance missions”.
Delaying the removal trial to January 19 also allows more time for Republican Senators to wrap their heads around acting against Trump.
Of course, parking the article of Impeachment for a week does nothing for the nation’s collective anxiety. Trump is the monster rampaging across the landscape–it makes no sense to wait to take him out.
Even if it’s not physically possible to remove him before January 20, the Senate should be called back into session to start work on bouncing his wretched hide. [They’d need to take a separate vote to bar him from running for public office in the future; that doesn’t come with a successful removal.]
So here’s the thing. You should call your two Senators, and we will give you a script for that. We’re not sure if asking McConnell to call the Senate back into session is effective. Never mind that he says he won’t do it; if it makes sense to pressure him to come back early, we should.
Until we get a clear answer on this matter we’re offering a more general script.
Before calling, check the social media feeds and/or websites of your two Senators. See what they’ve been saying about the upcoming removal trial. Take these comments, or the lack of comments, into consideration when you speak to a staffer.
“Dear Senator <Lastname>, I am <Firstname Lastname> from <town, state, zip code>.
I am calling/emailing to support the effort to remove President Donald Trump.
I support this effort even if it proves impossible to remove him before his term of office ends.
It’s important to proceed with the trial to send a message to future presidents who might try to do the things Trump did on January 6.
I understand that GOP Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is refusing to call the Senate back into session before January 19. This is disappointing, and I do not like this.
I am asking you to support the removal trial, and to be ready to serve as a juror.
Thanks for considering this request.”
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