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Senate Democrats are growing eager to start President Trump’s impeachment trial, a sign that patience is growing thin amid the standoff between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
The delay is upsetting efforts for senators to plan — both their work and personal schedules as well as their legislative efforts — amid the uncertainty over the standoff, according to multiple senators.
While most Democrats said it was the speaker’s decision on when to send the articles, they made clear that the trial should start soon, hoping as early as next week.
Here’s what they said:
House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff defended the House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to hold the articles of impeachment, saying it has already had “a very salutary effect, in fleshing out what Mitch McConnell intends to do.”
He added that he would “leave it to the speaker” to talk about when she will send the impeachment articles over to the Senate.
Schiff would not answer when asked if he would subpoena former White House national security adviser John Bolton, but said Senators “ought to demand” that Bolton testify in the Senate trial.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Democrats continue to wait and “see what the terms are” for a Senate impeachment trial.
While the House approved two articles of impeachment last month, Pelosi has yet to formally introduce them to the Senate, so a trial has not yet been set.
House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries told reporters at his press conference afterward that there was no discussion of when the House will send articles of impeachment to the Senate during this morning’s meeting.
He said he supports Pelosi’s decision.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the floor this morning that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has no leverage in determining the rules of the Senate trial.
He said a majority of the Senate has decided that the first phase of the impeachment trial “should track closely” with the “unanimous, bipartisan precedent” that 100 senators supported during the 1999 Clinton trial.
He also said the 1999 precedent “neither guarantees witnesses nor forecloses witnesses.”
“Late last year Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats sped through a slapdash impeachment of President Trump in 12 weeks because they insisted the need to undo the 2016 election was urgent,” said McConnell. “Since then, the same people spent three weeks dragging their heels and refusing to proceed to a Senate trial. Supposedly the explanation for this shameless game playing is that Speaker Pelosi wanted leverage, leverage to reach into the Senate and dictate our trial proceedings to us.”
“Now I’ve made clear from the beginning that no such leverage exists,” McConnell added. “And yesterday we made it clear it will never exist.”
Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Democrat from Michigan, said the impeachment articles were not brought up during today’s Democratic caucus meeting.
When asked about the next steps with the articles of impeachment, Dingell said it “wasn’t even discussed today.”
She also became frustrated when asked if the War Powers resolution, which would check the President on Iran, was on the back burner given that it will not be put to a vote this week. Raising her voice, she said, “This is not a political game.”
House Judiciary members, such as Reps. Cicilline and Raskin, say they support Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision to hold the impeachment articles until they see the parameters of a Senate trial.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, another Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, defended Pelosi’s position to withhold the articles, but pressed on what he wanted to see from McConnell. He said he wanted to see the Senate Majority Leader’s plan in writing.
Raskin said it’s not enough that McConnell has been pretty clear about what the process will look like. He also accused Sen. Lindsey Graham and McConnell of putting too much of a thumb on the process. He also said Democratic senators should not weigh in at this stage on if Trump should be impeached, and he criticized those who have, such as l2020 hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
“All 100 senators need to consider very carefully what their oath is,” Raskin said.
Rep. Jim Himes, a Democrat on House Intelligence committee, said an “indefinite delay” in transmitting the impeachment articles is not being contemplated.
Remember: The House passed two articles of impeachment last month, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi has yet to formally transmit them to the Senate. It’s not clear when the House could send over the articles.
Himes also said that Iran tensions have put the impeachment issue in the back of most people’s minds, so he didn’t think it would hurt the Democrats’ case that Trump should be removed from office.
Meanwhile, Rep. Eliot Engel, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs committee, said that subpoenaing Mike Pompeo is a “consideration” if he doesn’t agree to testify next week.
As Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell walked through the halls of the Capitol last night, he said he was still in the dark over timing of the impeachment articles from the House.
The House passed two articles of impeachment last month, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi has yet to formally transmit them to the Senate. Once the Senate has the articles, it will hold a trial and determine whether Trump should be removed from office.
The House passed two articles of impeachment against President Trump last month, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi has yet to send them to the Senate.
Here are the latest developments in President Trump’s impeachment:
