Sen. Kamala D. Harris on Thursday said she would remain in Washington, D.C., if the House votes to impeach President Trump and the Senate holds a trial, even if it means missing out on campaigning in early presidential states.
“Listen, I’m running for president — I need to be in Iowa full-time,” the California Democrat said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “I will tell you, if the impeachment inquiry gets to the United States Senate, I will be there — against my political interest to be in Iowa every day.”
Ms. Harris’ campaign recently announced staffing cuts and reassignments to put more of an emphasis on Iowa, home of the first-in-the-nation caucuses.
“This has to be a moment where everyone says that we took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” she said. “The underlying issue here is that a foreign government was invited to interfere in our election.”
Ms. Harris is one of six sitting U.S. senators still in the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. The others are Sens. Michael Bennet of Colorado, Cory A. Booker of New Jersey, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Bernard Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
If the Democratic-led House does vote to impeach Mr. Trump, the Senate trial to determine whether to convict and remove him from office would be held six days a week, excluding Sundays.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell cited the presidential campaign season this week when discussing potential scheduling.
“The question is, how long does the Senate want to take? How long do the presidential candidates want to be here on the floor of the Senate instead of in Iowa and New Hampshire?” said Mr. McConnell, Kentucky Republican.
The House is investigating whether the president improperly pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky into digging up dirt on former Vice President Joseph R. Biden, a top contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.
Mr. Biden and Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, are two top 2020 contenders who could seemingly stand to benefit if the senators are in the chamber for a trial and off the official campaign trail.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.