Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he has no choice and will hold a trial if the House impeaches Trump.
McConnell told CNBC, The Senate impeachment rules are very clear. The Senate would have to take up an impeachment resolution if it came over from the House….I would have no choice but to take it up. How long you are on it is a different matter, but I would have no choice but to take it up based on a Senate rule on impeachment.”
Video:
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
The thought has always been that McConnell would do the bare constitutional minimum if Trump was impeached, which means that he has to hold a trial. The trial could last for an hour, with 30 minutes being given to each side. There is no rule saying how long an impeachment trial has to last.
McConnell would try to brush Trump impeachment under the rug as quickly as possible.
The whole trial would be a sham, but impeachment isn’t going to go away if the House votes to impeach Donald Trump. There will be some sort of trial. Mitch McConnell can’t under Senate rules “Merrick Garland” impeachment. The trial also gives McConnell an out if support for impeachment continues to grow, and the Republican Party happens to need a new presidential nominee in 2020.
The one rule to always remember is that nothing matters more to Mitch McConnell than his Senate majority.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
