Senate Republicans are expecting to move ahead with the Trump impeachment trial next week, despite House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defying their growing demands to send over articles of impeachment, The Washington Times confirmed.
Republican senators said that Senate Majority Leader informed them at lunch Thursday he anticipates receiving the articles as soon as Friday.
“He said that’s his best guess,” Sen. Mike Braun, Indiana Republican, told The Times. “We’re all hoping [for] that. I think with the six Democratic senators or so say that they wanted to see it, that made a big difference.”
The sense of looming action, first reported by Politico, in the Senate is contrasted by House Democrats’ vague sooner-rather-than-later sentiments.
When pressed by reporters, Mrs. Pelosi stuck with her comments from her Thursday morning press conference. She said she would not hold the articles indefinitely but did not offer a timeline for delivery.
“I’ll send them over when I’m ready. And that will probably be soon,” she said.
Mr. McConnell, Kentucky Republican, said he had the votes in line to proceed with the trial as Republicans see fit — using the Clinton impeachment trial as a model.
The 1999 proceedings allowed for House prosecutors and a White House defense team to present their cases and answer questions from senators, before the chamber decided on whether or not to hear from witnesses. The procedure was decided unanimously.
House Democrats argue the Republicans aren’t actually honoring the Clinton model in this situation because the Democratic president was investigated by special counsel for over a year, whereas some officials they called for their investigation did not cooperate.
A handful of Senate Democrats have broken with their House colleagues’ resolve to hold on to the articles, saying the time has come to move on with the trial.
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