The Senate officially approved Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s impeachment rules after more than 12 hours of debate late Tuesday night; setting the stage for the third trial of a sitting Commander-in-Chief in US history.
“A marathon, 12-hour first day in the Senate impeachment trial against President Trump erupted into a shouting match well after midnight Wednesday morning, as Trump’s legal team unloaded on Democratic impeachment manager Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y. — in an exchange that prompted a bleary-eyed Chief Justice John Roberts to sternly admonish both sides for misconduct in the chamber,” reports Fox News.
“McConnell’s rules, which were eventually adopted in a 53-47 party-line vote at 1:40 a.m. ET Wednesday and largely mirror those from the Bill Clinton impeachment trial in 1999, permit new witnesses and documents to be considered only later on in the proceedings, after opening arguments are made,” adds Fox.
The Democrat impeachment ‘Managers’ slammed the procedures as “embarrassing.”
“It’s embarrassing,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler said. “The president is on trial in the Senate, but the Senate is on trial in the eyes of the American people. Will you vote to allow all the relevant evidence to be presented here? Or will you betray your pledge to be an impartial juror? … Will you bring Ambassador Bolton here? Will you permit us to present you with the entire record of the president’s misconduct? Or will you instead choose to be complicit in the president’s coverup? So far I’m sad to say I see a lot of senators voting for a coverup, voting to deny witnesses, an absolutely indefensible vote, obviously a treacherous vote.”
Read the full report at Fox News.
'FANTASYLAND': McConnell Says It’s ‘Inconceivable’ 67 Senators Will Vote to Remove Trump
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell threw more cold-water on the Democrats’ impeachment frenzy Tuesday; saying “it’s inconceivable” that 67 Senators will vote to remove President Trump from office.
“It’s inconceivable to me that it would be 67 votes to remove the president from office,” McConnell told reporters during the third day of the public impeachment inquiry.
Sen. Mitch McConnell: "It's inconceivable to me that it would be 67 votes to remove the president from office." pic.twitter.com/KeSKGWzhW7
— The Hill (@thehill) November 19, 2019
McConnell made similar comments last week.
“I can’t imagine a scenario under which President Trump would be removed from office with 67 votes in the Senate,” McConnell told USA Today.
“Nothing is happening because House Democrats seized with Trump derangement syndrome are consumed with this argument with the president,” he said.
McConnell made similar comments last week; telling reporters “I will say I’m pretty sure how it’s likely to end. If it were today, I don’t think there’s any question it would not lead to a removal.”
Meanwhile, House Democrats refuse to commit to a formal timeline of their investigation into the President’s dealings with Ukraine.
“I haven’t had a lot of time to pay attention to the president’s tweets and the legal implications of them. I just think that was totally wrong and inappropriate and typical of the president,” Pelosi told CBS News.
“I have no idea,” she responded when asked if the process could drag-on into 2020.
ANOTHER EXCUSE: Cory Booker Says Senate Impeachment Trial Could Cost Him Iowa Caucus
Failing presidential candidate Cory Booker weighed-in this week on a potential Impeachment trial in the US Senate; saying the proceedings could potentially cost him the Iowa Caucus and other contests.
“If this trial lasts two weeks, that is literally dozens of events we won’t be able to do,” Booker said.
“It’s going to be a challenging four weeks in the caucus for us,” Booker said during a recent podcast. “If we can’t raise more money in this final stretch, we won’t be able to do the things that other campaigns with more money can do to show presence.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is under growing pressure from Congressional lawmakers to finally transmit her Articles of Impeachment to the US Senate.
“I understand what the speaker is trying to do, basically trying to use the leverage of that to work with Democratic and Republican senators to try to get a reasonable trial, a trial that would actually show evidence, bring out witnesses,” Rep. Adam Smith told CNN. “But at the end of the day, just like we control it in the House, Mitch McConnell controls it in the Senate.”
“I think it was perfectly advisable for the speaker to try to leverage that to get a better deal,” he continued. “At this point, it doesn’t look like that is going to happen. And yes, I think it is time to send the impeachment to the Senate and let Mitch McConnell be responsible for the fairness of the trial. He ultimately is.”
Senator Dianne Feinstein urged Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to end her political stunt regarding the Articles of Impeachment Wednesday; telling the top Democrat to send the documents to the US Senate if it’s truly “serious and urgent.”
“Time plays an unknown role in all of this, and the longer it goes on, the less the urgency becomes. So if it’s serious and urgent, it should come over. If it isn’t, don’t send it over,” said Feinstein.
“I’m not a big fan of impeachment but I think there’s enough to take a good look, and we should,” she said.
Dianne Feinstein says it’s time for Speaker Nancy Pelosi to send the impeachment articles to the Senate.
“If we’re going to do it, she should send them over,” the California Democrat said. “I don’t see what good delay does.”
— Laura Litvan (@LauraLitvan) January 8, 2020
“I think it needs to start. I really do,” said Sen. Joe Manchin. “Let us do what we have to do over here.”
“I think the time has passed. She should send the articles over,” added Sen. Chris Murphy.
Read the full report here.
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