Senate Impeachment Trial to Start in Early February

The House of Representatives will transmit an article of impeachment against former President Donald Trump to the Senate on Monday, and the formal trial will begin in the Senate the week of Feb. 8, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Friday. His announcement of the article's transmission initially appeared to be a denial of Republicans' requests to delay the trial, but he later explained that the Senate would pause the trial until early February once transmitting the impeachment article Monday. The news was often framed as benefitting both parties by media outlets across the spectrum. Some framed it as a win for the Biden administration based on the extra time it would have to settle in and confirm Cabinet members before a polarizing impeachment trial; others framed it as a win for the GOP, which had originally wanted to delay the trial by several weeks. Some coverage from right-rated sources also focused on President Joe Biden's apparent approval of the delay. Updated 1/22/21 at 6:58 p.m. ET with trial's start date.