TOKYO: Japanese doctors have detected a fast-spreading coronavirus variant first discovered in Britain in three people who had not travelled there, the health ministry said on Monday (Jan 18), the first such cases in Japan.
The three, aged from their 20s to their 60s and living in Shizuoka prefecture, about 200km west of Tokyo, first had symptoms in early January, the ministry said.
A health ministry official said that the authorities are looking into how the three became infected but that there was no proof yet that the variant first detected in Britain was spreading in Shizuoka now.
"Based on the fact the variant was detected from the people with no travel history (to the UK), we can assume they were infected in Japan," Takaji Wakita, head of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, told reporters.
Japan has so far detected 45 cases of new variants of the virus that were first spotted in Britain, South Africa and Brazil, he said.
Japan earlier this month expanded a state of emergency declared in the Tokyo area to seven more prefectures to curb COVID-19 cases.
The country has recorded about 335,000 cases of infection so far, including 4,500 deaths, public broadcaster NHK said.
The government has secured sufficient vaccine doses for all its 126 million residents, but so far only Pfizer has applied for approval and the jabs are not expected to start until late February.
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga pledged on Monday to tackle surging coronavirus cases and restore normal life "as soon as possible" as polls showed plunging support for his government.
Suga, who was speaking at the opening of a new parliament session, has only been in office since September, but has seen approval ratings nosedive over his government's handling of a third wave of infections.
The latest wave in Japan and abroad has also cast doubt on whether the pandemic-postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics can go ahead this year, but Suga repeated he was still committed to holding the Games as "proof of mankind's victory over the virus".
"To protect the lives and health of the Japanese people... I will get the situation back to normal as soon as possible," Suga said in a policy address to the Diet as it opened for a 150-day session.
BEIJING: US officials who have engaged in "nasty" behaviour over Chinese-claimed Taiwan will face sanctions, China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday (Jan 18), after Washington lifted curbs on exchanges between US and Taiwanese officials.
Ties have worsened as China has already condemned this month's easing, announced by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the waning days of President Donald Trump's presidency.
Further adding to China's anger, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Craft, spoke last week to Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, after a planned trip to Taipei was called off.
Asked at a daily news briefing how China would follow through on its pledge to make the US "pay a heavy price" for its engagements with Taiwan, ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said some US officials would face sanctions.
"Owing to the wrong actions of the United States, China has decided to impose sanctions on responsible US officials who have engaged in nasty behaviour on the Taiwan issue," she said, without elaborating.
China says Taiwan is the most important and sensitive issue in its relationship with the US, and has previously announced sanctions on US companies selling weapons to Taiwan, though it has not been clear how, or if, they were enforced.
Beijing has responded to increased US support for Taiwan, including arms sales and visits by senior US officials, by stepping up military activity near the island, including flying its air force aircraft nearby.
China last year unveiled sanctions on 11 US citizens, including lawmakers from Trump's Republican Party, in response to Washington's sanctions on Hong Kong and Chinese officials accused of curtailing political freedom in the former British colony.
WASHINGTON: US defence officials say they are worried about an insider attack or other threat from service members involved in securing President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, prompting the FBI to vet all of the 25,000 National Guard troops coming into Washington for the event.
The massive undertaking reflects the extraordinary security concerns that have gripped Washington following the deadly Jan 6 insurrection at the US Capitol by pro-Trump rioters. And it underscores fears that some of the very people assigned to protect the city over the next several days could present a threat to the incoming president and other VIPs in attendance.
Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told The Associated Press on Sunday (Jan 17) that officials are conscious of the potential threat, and he warned commanders to be on the lookout for any problems within their ranks as the inauguration approaches. So far, however, he and other leaders say they have seen no evidence of any threats, and officials said the vetting hadn't flagged any issues.
”We’re continually going through the process, and taking second, third looks at every one of the individuals assigned to this operation,” McCarthy said in an interview after he and other military leaders went through an exhaustive, three-hour security drill in preparation for Wednesday’s inauguration. He said Guard members are also getting training on how to identify potential insider threats.
About 25,000 members of the National Guard are streaming into Washington from across the country - at least two and a half times the number for previous inaugurals. And while the military routinely reviews service members for extremist connections, the FBI screening is in addition to any previous monitoring.
Multiple officials said the process began as the first Guard troops began deploying to DC more than a week ago. And they said it is slated to be complete by Wednesday. Several officials discussed military planning on condition of anonymity.
“The question is, is that all of them? Are there others?” said McCarthy. “We need to be conscious of it and we need to put all of the mechanisms in place to thoroughly vet these men and women who would support any operations like this.”
In a situation like this one, FBI vetting would involve running peoples’ names through databases and watchlists maintained by the bureau to see if anything alarming comes up. That could include involvement in prior investigations or terrorism-related concerns, said David Gomez, a former FBI national security supervisor in Seattle.
Insider threats have been a persistent law enforcement priority in the years after the Sep 11, 2001, attacks. But in most cases, the threats are from homegrown insurgents radicalised by al-Qaeda, the Islamic State group or similar groups. In contrast, the threats against Biden’s inauguration have been fuelled by supporters of President Donald Trump, far-right militants, white supremacists and other radical groups. Many believe Trump’s baseless accusations that the election was stolen from him, a claim that has been refuted by many courts, the Justice Department and Republican officials in key battleground states.
The insurrection at the Capitol began after Trump made incendiary remarks at the Jan 6 rally. According to McCarthy, service members from across the military were at that rally, but it’s not clear how many were there or who may have participated in the breach at the Capitol. So far only a couple of current active-duty or National Guard members have been arrested in connection with the Capitol assault, which left five people dead. The dead included a Capitol Police officer and a woman shot by police as she climbed through a window in a door near the House chamber.
General Daniel R Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, has been meeting with Guard troops as they arrive in DC and as they gather downtown. He said he believes there are good processes in place to identify any potential threats.
National Guard troops reinforce security around the US Capitol ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
“If there’s any indication that any of our soldiers or airmen are expressing things that are extremist views, it’s either handed over to law enforcement or dealt with the chain of command immediately,” he said.
The insider threat, however, was just one of the security concerns voiced by officials on Sunday, as dozens of military, National Guard, law enforcement and Washington DC officials and commanders went through a security rehearsal in northern Virginia. As many as three dozen leaders lined tables that ringed a massive colour-coded map of DC reflected onto the floor. Behind them were dozens more National Guard officers and staff, with their eyes trained on additional maps and charts displayed on the wall.
The Secret Service is in charge of event security, but there is a wide variety of military and law enforcement personnel involved, ranging from the National Guard and the FBI to Washington’s Metropolitan Police Department, US Capitol Police and US Park Police.
Commanders went over every aspect of the city’s complicated security lockdown, with McCarthy and others peppering them with questions about how the troops will respond in any scenario and how well they can communicate with the other enforcement agencies scattered around the city.
Hokanson said he believes his troops have been adequately equipped and prepared, and that they are rehearsing as much as they can to be prepared for any contingency.
The major security concern is an attack by armed groups of individuals, as well as planted explosives and other devices. McCarthy said intelligence reports suggest that groups are organising armed rallies leading up to Inauguration Day, and possibly after that.
The bulk of the Guard members will be armed. And McCarthy said units are going through repeated drills to practice when and how to use force and how to work quickly with law enforcement partners. Law enforcement officers would make any arrests.
He said Guard units are going through “constant mental repetitions of looking at the map and talking through scenarios with leaders so they understand their task and purpose, they know their routes, they know where their friendly, adjacent units are, they have the appropriate frequencies to communicate with their law enforcement partners”.
The key goal, he said, is for America’s transfer of power to happen without incident.
“This is a national priority. We have to be successful as an institution,” said McCarthy. “We want to send the message to everyone in the United States and for the rest of the world that we can do this safely and peacefully.”
WASHINGTON: President-elect Joe Biden's top advisors on Sunday (Jan 17) outlined his plans to tackle the nation's multiple crises while balancing the impeachment trial of Donald Trump, as an historic inauguration week opens in the United States.
Washington was under the watch of thousands of National Guard troops and ringed with security barriers ahead of Biden's swearing in Wednesday, in a nation still rattled by the Jan 6 attack on the Capitol.
Pro-Trump protests planned at state capitols nationwide got off to a quiet start with only small groups of armed demonstrators gathering in states including Ohio, Texas, Oregon and Michigan.
"The events of the past few weeks have proven out just how damaged the soul of America has been and how important is to restore it. That work starts on Wednesday," Biden's incoming chief of staff Ron Klain told CNN.
"We're inheriting a huge mess here, but we have a plan to fix it."
As the president-elect prepares to take power in a city where only two weeks earlier Trump supporters launched a violent attempt to overturn the election, Biden faces overlapping crises: Not only the pandemic but a struggling economy, climate change and racial tensions.
Biden wants the Congress to act quickly on a massive, US$1.9 trillion stimulus plan to revive the economy, and he plans a blitz to accelerate America's stumbling vaccine rollout.
His target of seeing 100 million doses of coronavirus vaccine injected within his first 100 days in office is "absolutely" achievable, top US scientist Anthony Fauci told NBC on Sunday.
"The feasibility of his goal is absolutely clear, there's no doubt about it," said Fauci, who will be Biden's chief advisor on the virus, as he was Trump's.
But the coming Senate impeachment trial - an unprecedented second for Trump - casts a shadow over Biden's path forward.
Democratic congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer have yet to say when the trial will begin.
"I don't think there's any promised date when Speaker Pelosi is going to present the articles of impeachment," Dick Durbin, a Democratic leader in the Senate, told CNN.
"We understand, under the Constitution, we have a responsibility to act as quickly as possible."
Biden has said he hopes the Congress can deal with that stark distraction even while advancing his aggressive agenda.
Adding to the uncertainty is a badly riven Republican Party - divided over Trump's false assertions that he won November's election, his fanning of emotions ahead of the deadly Capitol invasion, and on the future direction of the party.
One frequent Trump confidant, Senator Lindsey Graham, warned Sunday on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures that Republicans may not offer Biden much of a grace period, if any - saying the president-elect might be trying to move too far too fast.
"I think we are going to have in the first hundred days by the Biden administration the most aggressive socialised policy effort in the history of the country," he said.
He added, "No good comes from impeaching President Trump (when he is) out of office."
But Klain repeated Biden's affirmation that the Senate - controlled only narrowly by Democrats - could handle both an impeachment trial and the new Biden agenda.
He added Biden would be able to take a flurry of executive actions - requiring no congressional approval - as early as Wednesday afternoon.
They will include returning the country to the Paris climate accord and ending the travel ban on some mainly Muslim countries.
Plans for the inauguration - in normal times a bracing, even joyous, tribute to peaceful transition - had already been scaled down out of pandemic concerns. Fears of new violence by unyielding Trump supporters after the Jan 6 riot have cast a further pall.
US media reported small numbers of armed protesters outside state capitol buildings including in Texas, Michigan and Kentucky, overseen by large security deployments.
Thousands of National Guard troops were filling downtown Washington, the normal crowd has been banned, and streets have been blocked with heavy trucks and concrete barriers.
"This will be an inaugural like no other, in large part because of COVID-19," Vice President-elect Kamala Harris said in an interview aired Sunday on CBS.
"But we are going to get sworn in. And we're going to do the job we were hired to do."
HARRISBURG: Pennsylvania: Law enforcement officers were out in force at state capitol grounds across the United States on Sunday (Jan 17) in preparation for protests that so far have drawn only a small number of Trump supporters who believe the president's false claim that the 2020 election was rigged.
More than a dozen states have activated National Guard troops to help secure their capitol buildings following an FBI warning of armed demonstrations, with right-wing extremists emboldened by the deadly attack on the US Capitol in Washington on Jan 6.
Security officials had eyed Sunday as the first major flashpoint, as that is when the anti-government "boogaloo" movement made plans weeks ago to hold rallies in all 50 states.
Capitals in battleground states, where Trump has directed his accusations of voter fraud, were on especially high alert.
But by midday, only handfuls of demonstrators had taken to the streets alongside much larger crowds of law enforcement officers and media personnel.
A few Trump supporters were at Pennsylvania's statehouse in Harrisburg, including Alex, a 34-year-old drywall finisher from Hershey, Pennsylvania who said he had been at the Jan 6 siege of the US Capitol but did not storm the building. He declined to give his last name.
Wearing a hoodie emblazoned with "Fraud 2020", he said he believed November's presidential election was stolen and wanted to show his support for Trump. He noted the lack of protesters at the Pennsylvania capitol on Sunday.
"There's nothing going on," he said.
Local political activist Gene Stilp, right, pulls down a cut-out of President Donald Trump while staging an anti-Trump demonstration in front of the Pennsylvania State Capitol, Sunday Jan 17, 2021 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (Photo: AP/Jacqueline Larma)
A similarly small group of about a dozen protesters, a few armed with rifles, stood outside Michigan's capitol in Lansing. One wore fatigue pants, a tactical vest and blue Hawaiian shirt, a trademark of the anti-government boogaloo movement. Another wore a Trump T-shirt and waved a "Don't tread on me" flag.
Nearby, crews had blocked off streets and office buildings had boarded up windows in fear of violence.
In Atlanta, several hundred law enforcement officers and National Guard troops milled around Georgia's state house. Chain-link fences and cement barriers protected the Capitol grounds and multiple armored vehicles were stationed nearby.
In addition to increasing police presence, some states, including Pennsylvania, Texas and Kentucky, took the further step of closing their capitol grounds to the public.
Some Starbucks stores in New York were closed “out of an abundance of caution”, a spokesman said.
The Seattle-based company went ahead with the temporary closures because many people working in the stores live outside of Manhattan and might've gotten stuck from getting home if protests were to break out and disrupt transit service, said Jessica Conradson.
As darkness began to fall, there were no reports of any clashes.
Men with rifles stand outside the State Capitol, Sunday, Jan 17, 2021, in Lansing, Michigan. (Photo: AP/Carlos Osorio)
The heavy law enforcement presence may have kept turnout down. In the past few days, some extremists had warned others against falling into what they called a law enforcement trap.
Washington State Patrol spokesman Chris Loftis said he hoped the apparently peaceful day reflected some soul-searching among Americans.
“I would love to say that it’s because we’ve all taken a sober look in the mirror and have decided that we are a more unified people than certain moments in time would indicate,” he said.
PREPARING FOR VIOLENCE
The nationwide security scramble followed the attack on the US Capitol in Washington by a mix of extremists and Trump supporters, some of whom called for the death of Vice President Mike Pence as he presided over the certification of Democrat Joe Biden's election victory.
The FBI and other federal agencies have warned of the potential for future violence leading up to Biden's inauguration on Wednesday, as white supremacists and other extremists seek to exploit frustration among Trump supporters who have bought into his falsehoods about electoral fraud.
Tens of thousands of security personnel from the National Guard and law enforcement agencies have descended upon Washington, DC, to bolster security ahead of Wednesday's ceremony.
Downtown Washington was largely a ghost town on Sunday. Gun-toting National Guard soldiers in camouflage manned checkpoints across the city center, which was closed off to traffic with large military vehicles deployed to block streets.
Timothy Teagan, a member of the Boogaloo Bois movement, stands with his rifle outside the state capitol in Lansing, Michigan on Jan 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
It was not clear whether the FBI warning and ramped up security presence around the country might lead some protesters to cancel plans to go to their state capitols.
Following the Jan 6 violence in Washington, some militia members said they would not attend a long-planned pro-gun demonstration in Virginia on Monday, where authorities were worried about the risk of violence as multiple groups converged on the state capital, Richmond.
Pennsylvania State Police on horseback are positioned in an alley close to the Pennsylvania State Capitol on Jan 17, 2021 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (Photo: AP/Jacqueline Larma)
Some militias and extremist groups have told followers to stay home this weekend, citing the increased security or the risk that the planned events were law enforcement traps.
Bob Gardner, leader of the Pennsylvania Lightfoot Militia, said his group had no plans to be in Harrisburg this weekend, where the Capitol has been fortified with barricades and will be protected by hundreds of members of its National Guard.
"We've got our own communities to worry about," Gardner said earlier this week. "We don’t get involved in politics."
JAKARTA: As Indonesia grapples with the impact of COVID-19, terrorism cells in the country continue to spread radical messages, actively seeking new recruits and plotting their next attacks, a senior counterterrorism official said.
In an exclusive interview with CNA, the National Counter Terrorism Agency's (BNPT) director for enforcement, Eddy Hartono said although there has been no major terrorist attack during the pandemic, terrorism cells in Indonesia "are not sitting back and relaxing.”
“They are actively recruiting, spreading their ideology, raising funds and conducting training,” the Brigadier General said, adding that the only thing that has slowed during the pandemic is the sending of militants to join the ranks of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
The police’s counterterrorism unit Densus 88 arrested a total of 232 people last year for alleged involvement in terrorism activities.
Indonesian elite anti-terrorism squad Densus 88 personnel escort a terror suspect upon the arrival from Lampung to be transferred to Jakarta, at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, December 16, 2020. Muhammad Iqbal/Antara Foto via REUTERS
“They are indeed planning attacks on security officials, state institutions, military and the police,” Mr Hartono said. “Thank goodness we have been able to prevent (these attacks) from happening.”
Among those who were arrested last year were two of Indonesia’s most wanted terrorists Zulkarnaen and Upik Lawanga who have evaded capture for 19 and 14 years respectively.
Zulkarnaen, who goes by one name, was believed to be behind at least three terror attacks, including the 2002 Bali Bombings while Upik Lawanga was suspected of aiding a series of terror attacks between 2004 and 2006. Zulkarnaen was arrested in December and Lawanga was arrested in November.
In 2019, authorities arrested a total of 275 terrorism suspects.
Mr Hartono said during the pandemic, authorities have discovered the presence of bunkers to stash firearms and villas used to train recruits.
Terrorism cells have also raised funds directly from the public through thousands of charity boxes on the pretext of donations for natural disasters, social aid as well as COVID-19 relief efforts.
“The threat (of a terrorism attack) is omnipresent with or without the pandemic,” he said.
The pandemic has seen people avoiding large crowds, public spaces closed and monitored, while houses of worship are greatly reducing their capacity. This may have lowered the possibility of militants targeting them.
Indonesia Kopassus special forces soldiers stand with a dog after an anti-terror drill ahead of the upcoming Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia August 1, 2018. REUTERS/Beawiharta
Mr Hartono said from some of the suspects arrested, authorities learned that terrorists have been shifting their targets, plotting attacks against security and government officials instead of ordinary civilians.
“As soon as they conducted the planning, we detected them and contained the threat,” he said.
BUILDING A COUNTER NARRATIVE
The pandemic has caused millions of Indonesians to lose their jobs or see a sharp decline in their earnings and terrorist organisations are exploiting people's angst and desperation, Mr Hartono warned.
“There will be more people prone to radicalisation,” he said.
“We counter this by building a counter narrative. We have been engaging religious and community leaders and dispelling the narratives used by radicals. We promote values of nationalism, tolerance and togetherness.”
The BNPT director said with public sermons limited during the pandemic, terrorism cells have relied mostly on social media to spread their ideologies.
“We are intensifying our online monitoring. We have worked together with the BIN (Indonesian Intelligence Agency), police and Kominfo (Ministry for Information Technology and Communications) and set up a task force specifically to monitor content containing intolerance and terrorism,” he said.
“We are actively taking down such content when we find them. They are aggressively spreading such content. We have to be even more aggressive. We cannot afford to lose.”
Mr Hartono said Indonesia has not only blocked calls to violence or commit acts of terrorism, but also curtailed messages of intolerance from hardline and conservative groups.
“If we don’t stop them early on, (the hardliners) might progress into terrorism groups,” he said, adding that the recent ban on the notorious hardline group, the Islamic Defenders’ Front (FPI) is a part of this strategy.
FILE PHOTO: People gather for the homecoming of Rizieq Shihab, the leader of Indonesian Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) who has resided in Saudi Arabia since 2017 in Jakarta, Indonesia, November 10, 2020. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana
The FPI is known as an anti-vice group that often uses intimidation and physical violence in their tactics to get bars and nightclubs to close during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
According to the government, at least 35 members of the FPI have gone on to commit acts of terrorism.
INCREASED DERADICALISATION CHALLENGE DUE TO MORE COVID-19 CLUSTERS IN PRISONS
BNPT is also tasked with deradicalising inmates and other people who might be exposed to radical ideologies such as those who are intercepted for trying to go to the Middle East to join the Islamic State as well as terrorists’ wives and children.
During the pandemic, the results have been "less than optimal" Mr Hartono said, particularly with more COVID-19 clusters emerging in prisons.
“This programme was not easy (before the pandemic) and the pandemic is further limiting our capacity. The programme is not as intense and as optimal as before the pandemic. But we have to do it continuously,” he said.
Due to health protocol considerations, the BNPT is limiting the number of people participating in a given deradicalisation session to three. Previously, sessions can involve dozens of participants. This has made the process slower and more difficult.
“To circumvent this, we intensify our social media monitoring. We also limit the number of visitors (inmates can receive). We monitor their communications,” Mr Hartono said.
Even before the pandemic, officials have put terrorist leaders, preachers, recruiters and those who can influence others in solitary confinement or maximum-security prisons. This practice, he said, has been intensified during the pandemic.
The year started with the release of Abu Bakar Bashir, the co-founder and spiritual leader of Jamaah Islamiyah, a group which is believed to have been behind some of Indonesia’s deadliest terrorism attacks.
Indonesian radical Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir enters a courtroom for the first day of an appeal hearing in Cilacap, Central Java province, January 12, 2016. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside/File Photo
Bashir did not participate in any deradicalisation programme, because he was imprisoned before the programme became a requirement for terrorism inmates seeking remissions and paroles.
The cleric was arrested in 2010 for his role in a terrorist paramilitary training camp in Sumatra. Participation in deradicalisaion sessions is only compulsory for those imprisoned after 2012.
Mr Hartono said this is why Bashir was able to receive a total of 56 months cut from his 15 year-sentence, despite not participating in the deradicalisation programme. He also refused to pledge allegiance to the state of Indonesia, another requirement for those seeking remissions and paroles.
“We will continue to monitor him. We hope he will promote peace in his sermons. But if we catch him promoting or influencing others to commit violence, we will arrest him again,” Mr Hartono stated.
WASHINGTON: The lead prosecutor for President Donald Trump's historic second impeachment began building his case for conviction at trial, asserting on Sunday (Jan 17) that Trump's incitement of the mob that stormed the US Capitol was “the most dangerous crime" ever committed by a president against the United States. A Senate trial could begin as soon as this week, just as Democrat Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president.
Rep Jamie Raskin, D-Md, did not say when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, will send the single article of impeachment against Trump - for “incitement of insurrection” - to the Senate, which will trigger the beginning of the trial. But Raskin said “it should be coming up soon” as Pelosi organises the formal transfer.
The House voted to impeach Trump last Wednesday, one week after the violent insurrection that interrupted the official count of electoral votes, ransacked the Capitol and left Congress deeply shaken. Before the mob overpowered police and entered the building, Trump told them to “fight like hell” against the certification of Biden's election win.
“We're going to be able to tell the story of this attack on America and all of the events that led up to it,” Raskin said. “This president set out to dismantle and overturn the election results from the 2020 presidential election. He was perfectly clear about that.”
Democrats and the incoming administration are facing the challenge of reckoning with the Capitol attack at the same time that Biden takes office and tries to move the country forward. They say the Congress can do both, balancing a trial with confirmations of the new president's Cabinet and consideration of his legislative priorities.
Raskin said Congress cannot establish a precedent where “we just want to let bygones be bygones” just because Trump has left office.
Yet it's clear that Democrats do not want the Senate trial to dominate Biden's opening days. Pelosi on Friday said that Democrats intend to move quickly on Biden’s US$1.9 trillion COVID aid and economic recovery package to speed up vaccinations and send Americans relief, calling it “matter of complete urgency.”
Ron Klain, Biden's incoming White House chief of staff, said he hopes Senate leaders, on a bipartisan basis, “find a way to move forward on all of their responsibilities. This impeachment trial is one of them, but getting people into the government and getting action on coronavirus is another one of those responsibilities.”
It is unclear how many Senate Republicans - if any - would vote to convict Trump. Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is telling his caucus that their decision on whether to convict the outgoing president will be a “vote of conscience.” His stance, first reported by Business Insider, means the GOP leadership team will not work to hold senators in line one way or the other.
McConnell is open to considering impeachment, but said he is undecided on how he would vote. He continues to hold great sway in his party, even though convening the trial this week could be among his last acts as majority leader as Democrats prepare to take control of the Senate with the seating of two new Democratic senators from Georgia.
For Republican senators, the trial will be perhaps a final test of their loyalty to the defeated president and his legions of supporters in their states back home. It will force a further reevaluation of their relationship with Trump, who lost not only the White House but majority control of the Senate, and a broader discussion about the future of the Republican Party as he leaves office.
Some GOP senators are already standing by Trump, despite their criticism of his behavior. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of the president's most loyal allies, said impeachment was a "bad, rushed, emotional move” that puts the presidency at risk and will cause further division.
He said he hopes every Senate Republican rejects impeachment. “Please do not justify and legitimise what the House did,” Graham said.
A handful of Republican senators have suggested they will consider conviction. Two of them, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, have said he should resign. Murkowski said the House responded “appropriately” with impeachment and she will consider the trial arguments.
No president has ever been convicted in the Senate, and it would take a two-thirds vote against Trump, a high hurdle. But conviction is not out of the realm of possibility, especially as corporations and wealthy political donors distance themselves from Trump's brand of politics and the Republicans who stood by his attempts to overturn the election.
Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal attorney, was spotted at the White House Saturday and told ABC he was likely going to join Trump’s impeachment defense team. He suggested he would continue to spread baseless claims of election fraud on the Senate floor.
Trump campaign spokesman Hogan Gidley moved to distance Trump from Giuliani’s comments, tweeting: “President Trump has not yet made a determination as to which lawyer or law firm will represent him for the disgraceful attack on our Constitution and democracy, known as the 'impeachment hoax.' We will keep you informed.”
There was not widespread fraud in the election, as has been confirmed by a range of election officials and by William Barr, who stepped down as attorney general last month. Nearly all of the legal challenges put forth by Trump and his allies have been dismissed by judges.
Trump is the only president to be twice impeached, and the first to be prosecuted as he leaves the White House, an ever-more-extraordinary end to his tenure. A precedent set by the Senate in the 1800s established that a trial can proceed even after a federal official leaves office. Trump was first impeached by the House in 2019 over his dealings with Ukraine, but the Senate voted last year to acquit.
Ten Republicans joined all Democrats in the 232-197 impeachment vote on Wednesday, the most bipartisan modern presidential impeachment.
When his second trial does begin, House impeachment managers say they will be making the case that Trump’s incendiary rhetoric hours before the attack on the Capitol was not isolated, but directly intended to interrupt the electoral count as part of his escalating campaign to overturn the November election.
A Capitol Police officer died from injuries suffered in the attack, and police shot and killed a woman. Three other people died in what authorities said were medical emergencies.
Raskin and Klain were on CNN's “State of the Union,” and Graham appeared on Fox News Channel's “Sunday Morning Futures.”
