House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called on Joe Biden to suspend his 2020 presidential campaign during President Trump’s impeachment trial, arguing it gives him an unfair advantage over his Democratic rivals in the Senate.
The California Republican urged Biden to make the pledge, claiming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was withholding the articles of impeachment to harm Sen. Bernie Sanders’s campaign.
“If there’s anyone who gained from this, it would be anybody who’s running for president that’s not in the U.S. Senate,” McCarthy said during a news conference Tuesday.
“Sen. Sanders actually has a chance to win, but not now that Nancy Pelosi has held these documents,” he added.
The impending trial could last several weeks and overlap with the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 3 and the New Hampshire primary on Feb. 11. Several Democratic debates are also scheduled for next month.
Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Michael Bennet of Colorado would likely be sidelined from campaign events during the trial, which could take place up to six days per week.
“The only rightful thing of Joe Biden is to make a pledge not to campaign while Bernie Sanders cannot,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy did not call on other Democratic candidates to stop campaigning during the Senate trial.
