Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) questioned on Friday if President Joe Biden actually has control of congressional Democrats as the reigning leader of the party and with his status as commander-in-chief.
The remark followed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) affirming that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) will transmit the article of impeachment against former President Trump on Monday.
“Pres Biden is preaching unity & healing while Dem leadership is focused on impeachment of a former president,” Grassley observed Friday afternoon.
“Does Pres Biden not hv control of congressional Democrats as leader of party???” he asked, warning that the move will “surely slow up Biden cabinet confirmations/agenda + increase division”:
Schumer identified the second impeachment trial of Trump as one of the Senate’s top three “essential” items in the coming days and weeks, also announcing that Pelosi will be transmitting the article of impeachment to the Senate on Monday, which she confirmed in a Friday statement.
“The article of impeachment for incitement of insurrection by Donald Trump will be delivered to the Senate on Monday, January 25,” Pelosi said, announcing that their managers are “ready to begin to make their case to 100 Senate jurors through the trial process.”
“Exactly one week after the attack on the Capitol to undermine the integrity of our democracy, a bipartisan vote of the House of Representatives passed the article of impeachment, which is our solemn duty to deliver to the Senate.”
Pelosi continued to defend the Democrats’ efforts to impeach and convict Trump on Thursday, telling reporters that Trump “committed an act of incitement of insurrection.”
“I don’t think it’s very unifying to say, ‘Oh, let’s just forget it and move on,'” she argued.
This week, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki failed to say if Biden wanted the Senate to proceed with a trial, telling reporters that lawmakers are doing their “constitutional duty” and adding that the administration will “leave the mechanics, the timing, and the specifics of how Congress moves forward on impeachment to them.”
Biden mentioned “unity” several times in his inaugural address as critics continue to contend that a decisive impeachment trial will only further fan the flames of discord.