NEW: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he would have no choice but to move forward with a Senate trial if the House of Representatives voted to impeach Trump
His comments in an interview with CNBC confirm the position he took in an interview with NPR in March, and the conclusion of a Senate staff memo that was obtained by HuffPost.
Even before the House began work on impeachment, speculation surfaced that McConnell could simply stall the process when and if it reached the Senate, possibly using the same rationale that he used to bury President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court in 2016: that with a new election looming the voters should have a “voice” in the process.
But McConnell said he was prepared to see a trial — which would require 67 votes for conviction and removal from office — play out, and the Senate staff memo backs that position. “There is no way we could somehow bar the doors and prevent the managers from presenting the articles to the Senate,” stated the memo. “The rules of impeachment are clear on this point.”
McConnell’s political interests appear to be complicated. If the president survives a Senate trial, he could claim vindication in his re-election campaign. But the removal vote is seen as dangerous for some Republican senators up for reelection in 2020 in states where Trump is less popular, including Susan Collins of Maine, Cory Gardner of Colorado, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Martha McSally of Arizona.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
McConnell Says ‘No Choice’ on Senate Vote: Impeachment Update(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump unleashed a torrent of tweets over the weekend attacking Democrats and demanding to meet the whistle-blower who said the president asked Ukraine’s president to dig up political dirt on Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.The president is portraying himself
Read more »
GOP Leadership Memo Suggests Senate Cannot Block Trial If House Votes To Impeach TrumpThe Republican leadership issued a memo Saturday clarifying that the Senate must take action if the House approves articles of impeachment against Trump. The statement came in response to concerns that the Senate could simply refuse to hold a trial
Read more »
‘A stinking fish’: Dems see impeachment as weapon against Republican Senate
Read more »
New Senate report implicates NRA in Russia influence conspiracy, brokering ties with Russian agentThese allegations of business impropriety mirror other scandals currently engulfing America's most powerful gun rights lobby.
Read more »
New Senate Report Alleges NRA Acted As ‘Foreign Asset’ For Russia Before 2016 ElectionThe findings could have legal implications for the gun advocacy group.
Read more »
Jeff Flake says 35 Senate Republicans would vote to convict Trump if impeachment featured a secret ballotThe former Republican senator from Arizona says he ‘heard someone say if there were a private vote there would be 30 Republican votes. That’s not true. There...
Read more »