Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) apparently hasn’t budged from his refusal to subpoena new witnesses in President Donald Trump’s Senate impeachment trial, per Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) request.
During a speech on the Senate floor on Thursday evening, McConnell said he and Schumer “remain at an impasse.”
“Because my friend, the Democratic leader, continues to demand a new and different set of rules for President Trump,” the Republican senator continued. “He wants to break from that unanimous bipartisan precedent and force an all-or-nothing approach.”
McConnell also indicated that he was unswayed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) decision to delay sending over the House’s articles of impeachment to the Senate until she sees how the Senate trial process will shake out.
“Some House Democrats imply they’re withholding the articles for some kind of leverage so they can dictate the Senate process to Senators,” McConnell said. “I admit, I’m not sure what leverage there is in refraining from sending us something we do not want.”
Watch the Senate GOP leader below:
McConnell says he and Schumer "remain at an impasse" over the Senate impeachment trial process. pic.twitter.com/clPdrbtj5i
— TPM Livewire (@TPMLiveWire) December 19, 2019
“Because my friend, the Democratic leader, continues to demand a new and different set of rules for President Trump,”
correction: It is you who have implemented new and different rules for the president.
Oh, grow a chin McConnell
“I admit, I’m not sure what leverage there is in refraining from sending us something we can’t rig.”
fify
We know McConnell wanted this buttoned up before the holiday break. Maybe it was a bad idea to announce the inability to be impartial or lack of interest in a fair trial that gummed up the works. Just a thought.
Schumer: We want to call witnesses.
McTortoise (in his best Speaker-ese drawl): Witnesses aren’t necessary to reach a forgone conclusion.