What If Pelosi Never Sends Impeachment to the Senate?
December 20, 2019
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1:48Now PlayingWhat If Pelosi Never Sends Impeachment to the Senate?
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as posted by the channelHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s carefully scripted impeachment of Donald Trump took an unexpected turn an hour after she banged the gavel Wednesday night, as she opened the door to stalling a Senate trial on whether the president should be removed from office.
So far, there are no formal plans by Democrats to delay the impeachment. But Pelosi’s comment drew swift criticism from Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as Democrats have yet to clarify their timetable.
House Speaker Pelosi Holds News Conference Following Vote On Impeachment Of President Trump
Nancy Pelosi at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Dec. 18.
In an unscripted moment before reporters, Pelosi took a step favored by some in her Democratic caucus, but one she hadn’t broached herself: holding off on sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate until she secured changes in the rules for the trial in that chamber.
“So far we haven’t seen anything that looks fair to us,” Pelosi told reporters Wednesday after impeachment vote. She noted that McConnell has said he won’t be an impartial juror and that he will work in coordination with the White House counsel’s office.
“We’re not sending it tonight because it’s difficult to determine who the managers would be until we see the arena in which we will be participating,” Pelosi added. “This is a serious matter, even though the majority leader in the United States Senate says it’s OK for the foreman of the jury to be in cahoots with the lawyers of the accused.”
The idea initially pushed by outside commentators has gained traction among Democrats in a way that surprised even Pelosi’s top deputies. While House leaders were always planning to wait at least a day to name impeachment managers for the Senate trial, the suggestion to hold the impeachment articles in the House demand certain witnesses in the Senate has thrown the process into confusion.
“So far we haven’t seen anything that looks fair to us,” Pelosi told reporters Wednesday after impeachment vote. She noted that McConnell has said he won’t be an impartial juror and that he will work in coordination with the White House counsel’s office.
“We’re not sending it tonight because it’s difficult to determine who the managers would be until we see the arena in which we will be participating,” Pelosi added. “This is a serious matter, even though the majority leader in the United States Senate says it’s OK for the foreman of the jury to be in cahoots with the lawyers of the accused.”
The idea initially pushed by outside commentators has gained traction among Democrats in a way that surprised even Pelosi’s top deputies. While House leaders were always planning to wait at least a day to name impeachment managers for the Senate trial, the suggestion to hold the impeachment articles in the House demand certain witnesses in the Senate has thrown the process into confusion.
Republicans slammed any proposed delay as the most egregious example of political manipulation seeping into what should be a serious constitutional exercise. Trump called Democrats the “Do Nothing Party” and retweeted South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham accusing Democrats of “constitutional extortion” and asking “what is driving this crazy idea?”
McConnell said the suggestion that the House might not immediately send the impeachment articles to the Senate is a sign that the House may be “second-guessing whether they even want to go to trial.” Speaking on the Senate floor Thursday, McConnell described the House impeachment process as “shoddy” work and said the proposal to delay the articles is “really comical.”
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