Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell labeled Democrats' demands for impeachment witnesses a"nonstarter" Friday, calling it a"fantasy that the speaker of the House [would] get to hand-design the trial proceedings in the Senate."
His comments come as the standoff over how to proceed with the Senate trial of President Donald Trump stretches on, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi withholds the impeachment articles from the upper chamber. She's vowed to do so until McConnell comes to an agreement with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer regarding the rules for the impending trial and allowing witnesses.
"So, for now, we're content to continue the ordinary business of the Senate while House Democrats continue to flounder," McConnell said on the Senate floor Friday."If they ever muster the courage to stand behind their slapdash work product and transmit their articles to the Senate, it will then be time for the United States Senate to fulfill our founding purpose."
This combination of pictures created on December 23, 2019, shows Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi at a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., December 19, 2019, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell at a media availability on November 7, 2018, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
McConnell reiterated that he intends to conduct the trial in the same fashion as President Bill Clinton's. That means considering whether witnesses will be called only after evidence is presented by House impeachment managers and the administration provides its defense.
What has MoscowMitch done besides ram through judges. Doesn’t have have 400 or so bills sitting on his desk?
Time for McConnell to Retire!!!
He should, he has a lotif stuff he hasn’t done, bills to pass, get busy
What a load of crap. If by “ordinary business”, MOSCOW MITCH means doing nothing, then Americans should find this the status quo. Time to get rid of him.
even you wife is ahead of you in succession, ROTFLMFAO.
Yet the senate has accomplished nothing soooo....
Considering that the federal Supreme Court has been reinstalled over top of Senate and Congress according to the constitutional republic they're all going to answers for any crimes
Time to impeach trump again
What ordinary business?
Which is no business. Cockblocking turtle
MoscowMitch had a lot to hide. CoverUp
senatemajldr wants and evidence free trial so he can politicize the process as much as possible and deny the facts of the case.
My nothing burger is actually all the way
You mean the ordinary business of not doing your job, senatemajldr? You have stacks of bills on your desk you are ignoring because of stacks of bills donated to your campaigns over the years.