The Senate just approved a resolution to delay voting on acquitting President Trump until Wednesday—AFTER the Iowa caucuses, which could doom, or at least seriously hamper, efforts by Democratic presidential candidates in the Senate—Klobuchar, Warren, Sanders, and Bennet—who will now be stuck listening to floor speeches on Monday rather than making last-minute pitches to voters in the critical state.
Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) told NBC political correspondent Leigh Ann Caldwell that the schedule will be as follows:
.@RoyBlunt says there is an agreement between the leaders on a path forward:
– Vote tonight on resolution with four amendments
– No session this weekend
– Monday closing arguments
– Tuesday and Wednesday members time to opine
– Vote to acquit Wednesday at 4— Leigh Ann Caldwell (@LACaldwellDC) January 31, 2020
The GOP senators said an agreement had been struck for the end of the trial. Democrats would offer several amendments on Friday evening that would get voted on, then the Senate would break for the weekend. The Senate trial would resume with closing arguments for both sides — and give senators the chance to make public statements — on Monday. Senator statements would happen on Tuesday and Wednesday before a final acquittal vote.
CNN host Wolf Blitzer said late Friday afternoon that “this is a deal that was apparently worked out between the Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, and the Republican leader, the majority leader, McConnell.” If that turns out to be true, then Schumer may have just thrown the Democrat senators running for president—and especially Bernie Sanders—under a huge bus.
NEWS: Here's a copy of the resolution Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will be introducing this evening, calling for closing arguments Monday starting at 11 am and a final vote at 4 pm Wednesday. pic.twitter.com/yj0wViDuam
— Darren Samuelsohn (@dsamuelsohn) February 1, 2020
Former GOP Sen. Rick Santorum, who won the Iowa caucuses in 2012, said he’d be incensed if he had been pulled away from Iowa on the eve of voting.
“I would be furious, incensed. If this is the case… it will cost them votes,” he said during a CNN panel after the Senate voted down allowing additional witnesses or evidence in the partisan impeachment trial.
“It’s not like a primary night where, you know, where your candidate can be there or not, everyone’s voting,” he said. “These are caucuses. I went to five caucuses or six caucuses on caucus night [in 2012]. You go to the bigger caucuses, you get to speak in front of the caucus voters. This a huge blow, if this is true, to these Democratic candidates.” Santorum pointed out that if senators skip the proceedings “the Sergeant at Arms can go and get you.”
The RealClearPolitics average has socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders leading #2 Joe Biden—barely.
So pulling Sanders off the campaign trail on Monday could hurt his chances to beat Biden, who has been free to roam the highways and byways of Iowa—munching on corn dogs and ogling their women—while the nation’s most famous commie “Democratic Socialist” has been stuck in D.C. The Democratic establishment has been signaling that the radical Sanders is the last person they want heading up the ticket in November. PJM’s Stephen Green wrote this week that establishment Dems are “chumming the waters” for Sanders:
The real scare for beat-Trump-at-any-cost Democrats is that Sanders is radical enough to appeal to the party’s super-energized left wing, but far too radical to win against Donald Trump in the general election. Or as centrist Democrat Matt Bennett warned, “Sanders could win the nomination and would likely lose to Trump.” And as you might remember, the Obama camp let it be known a while back that Barack isn’t exactly feeling the Bern. Even the New York Times joined in the anti-Bernie pile-on, publishing a piece by the ever-nasty Michelle Goldberg headlined, “Bernie Could Win the Nomination. Should we be afraid?”
The just-concluded vote means that the Senate will be in impeachment session from 11-3 on Monday, so the senators will be able to get out of Dodge late that afternoon and catch the final hours of the caucuses.
“There’s a growing level of confidence from these people in and around the people running in the Senate and they feel they can make it to Iowa,” CNN’s Dana Bash said.
But will it be too late for Bernie to get out the votes he needs to prevail? Pop some popcorn and stay tuned.
This article has been updated to include the resolution results.
