 |
| President Joe Biden said Donald Trump’s impeachment trial “has to happen”.( Photo by= Kevin Dietsch/EPA) |
[Asia News Communication = Reporter Reakkana] President Joe Biden on Monday offered his most extensive comments since taking office on former President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, telling CNN, "I think it has to happen."
Biden made the comment during a brief one-on-one interview with CNN in the halls of the West Wing. He acknowledged the effect it could have on his legislative agenda and Cabinet nominees but said there would be "a worse effect if it didn't happen." Biden told CNN he believed the outcome would be different if Trump had six months left in his term, but said he doesn't think 17 Republican senators will vote to convict Trump. "The Senate has changed since I was there, but it hasn't changed that much," Biden said.
CNN previously reported that Biden and his team were initially cold on starting his administration -- which Biden pledged would "turn the page" on Trump -- with a focus on the former President. The contours of Trump's Senate trial are starting to take shape as the ceremonial elements get underway, with the Senate's longest-serving Democrat expected to preside over the trial and Democrats still weighing whether to pursue witnesses during proceedings that could take up a chunk of February.
