Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez said he would reschedule any presidential debates that could be interrupted by the impeachment trial.
The Senate has yet to receive the two articles of impeachment that passed in the House from Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but when they are transferred to the Senate, it could cause a problem for several candidates on the presidential campaign trail. Sens. Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker, Michael Bennet, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders will all be occupied when the impeachment trial begins.
Perez, 58, told MSNBC that he would just reschedule the four debates between now and the end of February if they’re interrupted by the impeachment trial.
“Democrats and our senators can walk and chew gum. Obviously, if there’s a trial on the 14th, then we’ll move the debate. If there’s not, then we’re going to have the debate,” Perez said. “At the moment, all systems are go. So, we’re going to move forward.”
He added, “And our candidates are very agile, just as the American people are agile. You know, families across this country walk and chew gum every day. They take care of their kids. They feed the family. They pay the bills. And they want to make sure that their Congress is doing the same thing. And our candidates will do the same thing.”
As of this week, a January trial would affect Sens. Sanders, Warren, and Klobuchar, because Booker and Bennet have not qualified for the debate stage.
Perez’s promise to move the debate is the first time the committee has signaled they would bend the debate rules to benefit certain candidates. Several of the low-polling candidates, including Booker, have requested a lower threshold for debate qualification but have been consistently turned down.
[Read more: Biden and Buttigieg could benefit from impeachment chaos]
