Because Saturday, Feb. 13, is the Jewish Sabbath, lawyers for former President Trump (D-N.Y.) recently requested that Trump’s impeachment be suspended on the Sabbath. A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) responded by saying the Senate granted the request.
According to the Washington Examiner, Trump’s impeachment defense attorney David Schon sent a letter on Feb. 6 to Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Vice President Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), who will preside over the impeachment hearings, saying that if the impeachment hearings are not concluded by Friday afternoon (Feb. 12), the Senate will not suspend them. If the impeachment hearings cannot be concluded by Friday afternoon (Feb. 12), they will be suspended at 5:24 p.m. that day and will resume on Sunday (Feb. 14).
Because Sean is an Orthodox Jew, they cannot attend the impeachment hearings against Trump on the Sabbath, as required by the Jewish religion. The Jewish Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday (Feb. 12) and is prohibited on the seventh day of that week (i.e., Feb. 13).
In his letter, Sean wrote: “I apologize for the inconvenience my request has caused, as suspending impeachment hearings on the Jewish Sabbath will undoubtedly inconvenience some people. However, for me, these practices and prohibitions are mandatory, so I have no choice but to make this request.”
Schumer’s spokesman, Justin Goodman, said in a reply letter, “We respect their request and will certainly make arrangements for that.” He also said the parties are discussing the agenda for the impeachment hearings.
After the House impeached Trump in January for inciting the Jan. 6 “uprising” on Capitol Hill, the Senate impeachment hearings are set to begin Feb. 8.
The report said that both Democratic and Republican House members have publicly expressed their hope that the impeachment hearings against Trump can be conducted quickly. Among them, Republican lawmakers said such partisan behavior by the Democrats would not lead to anything because 45 senators opposed Trump’s impeachment in the Feb. 3 Senate vote. And the Senate would need the support of 67 senators to convict Trump, which means the Senate would not be able to convict Trump. Democratic lawmakers have also said that a quick end to impeachment would be better to advance Biden‘s agenda.
Trump has consistently said his speech to his supporters on Jan. 6 was simply an appeal to supporters to “peacefully express their patriotic voice and let it be heard” when certifying Electoral College votes in the House and Senate, and did not encourage any violence.
Trump’s lawyers said they would show at the hearing that the hearing was unconstitutional because Trump has resigned as president and no longer holds public office, and that Trump’s Jan. 6 speech was protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
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