House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is playing hard to get. With the House passing two articles of impeachment against President Trump, the next step is to send those articles over to the Senate for a trial. But, the Democratic leader said she may hold on to them for a bit.
It makes no sense to the Republicans.
“It’s beyond me how the Speaker and Democratic Leader in the Senate think withholding the articles of impeachment and not sending them over gives them leverage," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wondered during a speech in the Senate on Thursday.
But it's no sweat off his back.
"Frankly, I’m not anxious to have the trial,” he said.
President Trump called Pelosi's bluff.
Pelosi feels her phony impeachment HOAX is so pathetic she is afraid to present it to the Senate, which can set a date and put this whole SCAM into default if they refuse to show up! The Do Nothings are so bad for our Country!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2019
Former Florida AG Pam Bondi, who's helping represent Trump during the impeachment trial, mused that the speaker just wants to withhold those articles because "she wants to say for a bit longer" that Trump has been impeached.
The speaker was confronted about her sudden cold feet during a Thursday morning press conference, to which she replied, "Frankly, I don't care what the Republicans say."
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), who voted for impeachment because it was his "solemn oath," agreed with the speaker that they should hold the articles until they get some guarantees from the Republican-controlled Senate. Those asks were outlined in Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's letter to McConnell on Sunday.
Democrat Whip Clyburn says they will wait "as long as it takes" before sending articles to Senate
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) December 19, 2019
I'm old enough to remember when Pelosi said, "The times have found us today…to place us in the urgency of protecting and defending..."
Now it's not urgent?pic.twitter.com/oZkFd7YL44
CNN anchor John Berman asked Clyburn specifically how long he's willing to wait to send over those articles.
"As long as it takes," he answered. He even answered "yes" when he said he'd be willing to hold them indefinitely.
It was "urgent." Now they're willing to sit on it. But, Democrats have forgotten a lot of what they've said lately. For instance, despite Pelosi telling us what a "somber" and "prayerful" vote it was going to be yesterday, several of her colleagues laughed and applauded throughout the impeachment debate.