House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) on Thursday said she wouldn’t yet send articles of impeachments against President Donald Trump to the Senate just yet, explaining she wishes to ensure the process will be handled fairly in Congress’s Republican-controlled upper chamber.
Pelosi’s announcement comes two days after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) claimed the Senate had enough votes to establish rules for impeachment without Democratic support, and amid criticism the White House is receiving for its escalation of conflict with Iran after assassinating a top general. Former National Security Adviser John Bolton said this week he was prepared to testify against Trump if subpoenaed.
“We cannot name managers until we see what the process is on the Senate side,” Pelosi said, referring to House lawmakers who will function as prosecutors for Trump’s impeachment trial. The House speaker’s decision seems to be taking inspiration from a tactic touted by Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe, who explained in a recent Washington Post op-ed that he believes Democratic lawmakers should impeach Trump without sending the articles to the Senate in order to prevent a quick acquittal or dismissal of all the president’s charges.
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McConnell drew severe criticism from Pelosi and others last week after the Kentucky Republican said in a Fox News interviews that he and White House lawyers were “coordinating” the process surrounding Trump’s impeachment.
“There will be no difference between the president’s position and our position as to how to handle this,” McConnell said.
Pelosi emphasized on Wednesday that she hopes Senate Republicans will be honest and forthright in disclosing any relevant documents the White House may have withheld from Congress and allowing key witnesses the Trump administration may have blocked from testifying to make their case before the chamber.
Many pundits have speculated that Trump’s impeachment will likely unfold similarly to that of Bill Clinton‘s.
