WASHINGTON (AP) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said today she knows exactly when shell be transmitting the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, brushing back Democratic comments that the time has come to start the Senate trial.
Pelosi told reporters at the Capitol she had no concerns about the anxiety some House and Senate Democrats are showing over the standoff with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell about the terms of the delayed trial. Its now more than three weeks since the House impeached Trump on charges of abuse and obstruction.
Same thing Ive said before, Pelosi told The Associated Press as she entered the Capitol. Wed like to see how were going to proceed, and then well know who to send. I have an obligation to my members, especially those on the committees, to do justice to their work.
Asked later as she headed for a morning meeting if she had any concerns about losing support from Democrats for her strategy, she said: No.
Pelosi told reporters, I know exactly when she plans to send the impeachment articles over, but, I wont be telling you right now.
One top lawmaker, Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, told CNN today its time to send over the charges. But shortly afterward, he tweeted that he misspoke: If the Speaker believes that holding on to the articles for a longer time will help force a fair trial in the Senate, then I wholeheartedly support that decision.
The standoff over Trumps impeachment trial deepened this week as McConnell said there will be no haggling with Democrats as Pelosi demands for more details and witnesses.
McConnell said on Thursday if Pelosi and House Democrats are too embarrassed to transmit the articles of impeachment, the Senate will simply move on next week to other business.
They do not get to trap our entire country into an unending groundhog day of impeachment without resolution, McConnell said as he opened the Senate.
McConnells Senate majority has the leverage Republicans need to launch Trumps trial toward swift acquittal of the charges, but Pelosis reluctance to transmit the articles of impeachment leaves the proceedings at a standstill.
What started as a seemingly minor delay over process and procedures is now a high-stakes showdown between two skilled leaders facing off over the rare impeachment trial, only the third in the nations history.
McConnell, who met with Trump late Wednesday at the White House, suggested last month it would be fine with me if the House never sent the articles. More recently, he has drawn on the Constitutions intent for the Senate to have the ultimate say on matters of impeachment. He scoffed that Pelosi has managed to do the impossible by uniting Democrats and Republicans who want the trial to begin.
There will be no haggling with the House over Senate procedure, McConnell, R-Ky., said Wednesday before meeting with Trump at the White House. We will not cede our authority to try this impeachment. The House Democrats turn is over.
Trump tweeted Thursday that Pelosi doesnt want to hand over The Articles of Impeachment, which were fraudulently produced by corrupt politicians like Shifty Schiff in the first place, because after all of these years of investigations and persecution, they show no crimes and are a joke and a scam! Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., led the House impeachment inquiry.
Three weeks have passed since the House impeached Trump on the charge that he abused the power of his office by pressuring Ukraines new leader to investigate Democrats, using as leverage $400 million in military assistance for the U.S. ally as it counters Russia at its border. Trump insists he did nothing wrong, but his defiance of the House Democrats investigation led to an additional charge of obstruction of Congress.
Senators from both sides are eager to serve as jurors for Trumps day in court. The trial will be conducted in the Senate, where Republicans have a thin majority.
