Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has the votes to pretty much ignore all Democratic demands on witnesses regarding the pending Trump impeachment trial. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi remains committed to withholding transmitting the articles of impeachment because she’s afraid, and rightfully so, that this will meet a quick death in the Republican Senate. She wants a fair trial. That’s the line. It’s not. As Kimberley Strassel elaborated in her op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, Democrats just want to keep this in the news cycle. A trial would further eviscerate the Democrats’ weak case for impeachment against President Trump. A trial with witnesses would be a sweetener, but this is all orchestrated to damage the president’s approval ratings. It hasn’t done that. the economy is booming. Oh, and he scored a solid win over Iran by drone striking and killing one of their top terrorists Maj. Gen. Qasam Soleimani last week. Pelosi has no say in how the Senate will conduct this trial when it happens, but she’s digging in.
Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), chair of the House Armed Services Committee, spoke earlier this morning that it was time to pretty much surrender and transmit the articles. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) has made similar remarks. The game is over. We won. Trump won. Trump will remain president and the Democrats are going to be left with the realization that they squandered their majority trying to impeach Trump without passing any bills that are worth touting on the campaign trail in 2020. Yes, Trump voters are persuadable. They’re not reliably Republican. If Democrats had focused on better trade deals, job creation, tax cuts for small businesses, etc. there at least could be something of a case to be made that the party was working for the middle class. Instead, they held up a trade deal with Mexico and Canada and decided to go all-in on this partisan witch-hunt, all while two-thirds of Trump voters who backed Democrats in 2018 said they were going to support Trump. Thank God, Democrats are stupid.
!!!
— Rachael Bade (@rachaelmbade) January 9, 2020
Pelosi’s own chairman is saying it’s time to send articles. She’s losing more Democrats each day https://t.co/nOvOgCXSdE
JUST NOW: (wow) "I think it is time to send the impeachment to the Senate and let Mitch McConnell be responsible for the fairness of the trial. "
— John Berman (@JohnBerman) January 9, 2020
That is Dem Armed Services chair @repadamsmith on @NewDay. First chair to move to that position?pic.twitter.com/pxlQWEdN41
Oh, and someone got to Smith because he backtracked later in the morning. House Speaker Pelosi is keeping that gun to the head of her caucus. The gun that’s represented by the party’s campaign war chest, among other things. Still, it doesn’t negate the fact that the walls are starting to crumble on this “rolling impeachment” gamble.
I misspoke this morning, I do believe we should do everything we can to force the Senate to have a fair trial. If the Speaker believes that holding on to the articles for a longer time will help force a fair trial in the Senate, then I wholeheartedly support that decision.
— Rep. Adam Smith (@RepAdamSmith) January 9, 2020
I am concerned that Senator McConnell won’t have a fair trial and I am with the Speaker that we should do everything we can to ensure he does. Ultimately, I do want the articles sent to the Senate for the very simple reason that I want the impeachment process to go forward.
— Rep. Adam Smith (@RepAdamSmith) January 9, 2020
Lol looks like someone got a phone call. pic.twitter.com/Yh88TiKBl0
— Julio Rosas (@Julio_Rosas11) January 9, 2020
… and for my opinions on other issues, please contact Speaker Pelosi’s press office. https://t.co/2M9jIIdgPe
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) January 9, 2020
Join the conversation as a VIP Member