Republican Senator John Cornyn has said that he expects the opening arguments for US President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial to start next Tuesday, January 21.

He said on Monday that the January 21 was the “likely” start date for Trump’s impeachment trial in the Senate.

“We’d actually be glued to our chair starting Tuesday, I think,” he said when asked if he was talking about the opening arguments.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is expected to send the articles to the Senate this week.

Pelosi on Sunday defended her decision to temporarily delay the Senate’s impeachment trial of the president and accused Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) of orchestrating a “coverup” of Trump’s actions.

She also said that said that Trump is “impeached for life” regardless of “any gamesmanship” by McConnell.

Trump on Sunday said that Republicans were giving credibility to the impeachment inquiry by holding a trial in the Senate.

The president appeared to urge Senate Republicans to reject the idea of holding a trial at all.

“Many believe that by the Senate giving credence to a trial based on the no evidence, no crime, read the transcripts, ‘no pressure’ Impeachment Hoax, rather than an outright dismissal, it gives the partisan Democrat Witch Hunt credibility that it otherwise does not have. I agree!” Trump tweeted.

Trump said the upcoming Senate impeachment trial “should not even be allowed to proceed.”

“Why should I have the stigma of Impeachment attached to my name when I did NOTHING wrong?

Last week, Trump claimed he “did not really care” about the trial in the Senate following his impeachment by the House, but he would be happy to have a trial.

“I don’t really care. It doesn’t matter. As far as I’m concerned I’d be very happy with a trial because we did nothing wrong,” Trump told reporters on December 31.

The Republican president reiterated that he considered his impeachment by the Democratic-led House a hoax.

Source: Presstv