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| Mitch McConnell outraged over Democrat request for more impeachment witnesses | Mitch McConnell outraged over Democrat request for more impeachment witnesses |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Top Senate Republican rebuffs request for senior White House officials to testify, calling the inquiry ‘sloppy’ and ‘a fishing expedition’ | Top Senate Republican rebuffs request for senior White House officials to testify, calling the inquiry ‘sloppy’ and ‘a fishing expedition’ |
| Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the US Senate who will control an impeachment trial should the House vote as expected on Wednesday to bring formal charges against Donald Trump, has rebuffed a Democratic request to call new witnesses and dismissed the process as a “sloppy … fishing expedition”. | Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the US Senate who will control an impeachment trial should the House vote as expected on Wednesday to bring formal charges against Donald Trump, has rebuffed a Democratic request to call new witnesses and dismissed the process as a “sloppy … fishing expedition”. |
| The majority leader took to the floor of the Senate on Tuesday to underline what he has already made clear – his disdain for the Democrat-initiated impeachment process. | The majority leader took to the floor of the Senate on Tuesday to underline what he has already made clear – his disdain for the Democrat-initiated impeachment process. |
| Swatting aside a suggestion from Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, that senior White House officials should be called to testify in any impeachment trial, he scathingly said: “So now the Senate Democratic leader would apparently like our chamber to do House Democrats’ homework for them. And he wants to volunteer the Senate’s time and energy on a fishing expedition.” | Swatting aside a suggestion from Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, that senior White House officials should be called to testify in any impeachment trial, he scathingly said: “So now the Senate Democratic leader would apparently like our chamber to do House Democrats’ homework for them. And he wants to volunteer the Senate’s time and energy on a fishing expedition.” |
| He added: “From everything we can tell, House Democrats’ slapdash impeachment inquiry has failed to come anywhere near – anywhere near – the bar for impeaching a duly elected president, let alone removing him for the first time in American history.” | He added: “From everything we can tell, House Democrats’ slapdash impeachment inquiry has failed to come anywhere near – anywhere near – the bar for impeaching a duly elected president, let alone removing him for the first time in American history.” |
| McConnell’s pugnacious response came on the eve of a historic vote in the House that is all but certain to pass two articles of impeachment against Trump. | McConnell’s pugnacious response came on the eve of a historic vote in the House that is all but certain to pass two articles of impeachment against Trump. |
| The first accuses the US president of abusing his power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate his potential political rival, the former vice-president Joe Biden. The second charges him with obstructing Congress by blocking the appearance of key administration figures at impeachment hearings. | The first accuses the US president of abusing his power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate his potential political rival, the former vice-president Joe Biden. The second charges him with obstructing Congress by blocking the appearance of key administration figures at impeachment hearings. |
| The vote would make Trump only the third president to be impeached in US history, after Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1999. The charges would then be sent to the Republican-controlled Senate for trial, setting up a much more challenging constitutional bar: no president has ever been convicted and removed from office, Richard Nixon having resigned in 1974 before a vote on articles of impeachment. | The vote would make Trump only the third president to be impeached in US history, after Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1999. The charges would then be sent to the Republican-controlled Senate for trial, setting up a much more challenging constitutional bar: no president has ever been convicted and removed from office, Richard Nixon having resigned in 1974 before a vote on articles of impeachment. |
| Earlier on Tuesday, Trump chipped in his own insults, calling impeachment a “Democrat Scam”. | Earlier on Tuesday, Trump chipped in his own insults, calling impeachment a “Democrat Scam”. |
| McConnell’s outburst came in reply to a letter from Schumer in which the Democratic leader outlined how he thought a trial should be conducted. Schumer said four new witnesses should be called, including John Bolton, the former national security adviser fired by Trump in September, and the acting White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney. | |
| Both Bolton and Mulvaney have first-hand knowledge of pertinent events relating to Trump’s interaction with the Ukraine government and his efforts to cajole foreign officials to investigate Biden and his son Hunter Biden over the latter’s business dealings in the country. Neither complied with requests to testify during House intelligence committee hearings which laid out evidence against the president. | Both Bolton and Mulvaney have first-hand knowledge of pertinent events relating to Trump’s interaction with the Ukraine government and his efforts to cajole foreign officials to investigate Biden and his son Hunter Biden over the latter’s business dealings in the country. Neither complied with requests to testify during House intelligence committee hearings which laid out evidence against the president. |
| McConnell’s refusal to entertain the idea of calling extra witnesses falls in step with the Republican strategy of dealing with impeachment by largely shunning it in a hyper-partisan display. | McConnell’s refusal to entertain the idea of calling extra witnesses falls in step with the Republican strategy of dealing with impeachment by largely shunning it in a hyper-partisan display. |
| Other key Republicans, including the Trump loyalist Lindsey Graham, have said they have already made their minds up about the verdict they will deliver even though they are given the role under the US constitution of impartial jurors. | Other key Republicans, including the Trump loyalist Lindsey Graham, have said they have already made their minds up about the verdict they will deliver even though they are given the role under the US constitution of impartial jurors. |
| In his own Senate floor speech criticizing McConnell for rejecting his witness request, Schumer said: “We will have votes on whether these people should testify and whether these documents should be made public ... and the American people will be watching.” | In his own Senate floor speech criticizing McConnell for rejecting his witness request, Schumer said: “We will have votes on whether these people should testify and whether these documents should be made public ... and the American people will be watching.” |
| He added: “Senators who oppose this plan will have to explain why less evidence is better than more evidence.” | He added: “Senators who oppose this plan will have to explain why less evidence is better than more evidence.” |
| The Democrat also cited a new poll that showed a significant majority of Americans believe Trump should allow his advisers to testify in a Senate impeachment trial. | The Democrat also cited a new poll that showed a significant majority of Americans believe Trump should allow his advisers to testify in a Senate impeachment trial. |
| According to the Washington Post/ABC News poll, seven in 10 Americans say Trump should allow his aides to testify and six in 10 expect a fair Senate trial. | According to the Washington Post/ABC News poll, seven in 10 Americans say Trump should allow his aides to testify and six in 10 expect a fair Senate trial. |
| However, the American public remains sharply divided on the question of whether Trump should be removed. The poll found that 49% support removal, compared with 46% who oppose it. | |
| On Tuesday, a succession of moderate Democrats representing districts Trump won in 2016 announced that they would vote for impeachment. | On Tuesday, a succession of moderate Democrats representing districts Trump won in 2016 announced that they would vote for impeachment. |
| As a House rules committee hearing on the articles of impeachment continued, Trump also faced rebuke by more than 700 leading American historians who signed an open letter which said he should be impeached and removed. | As a House rules committee hearing on the articles of impeachment continued, Trump also faced rebuke by more than 700 leading American historians who signed an open letter which said he should be impeached and removed. |
| “It is our considered judgment,” the historians wrote, “that if President Trump’s misconduct does not rise to the level of impeachment, then virtually nothing does.” | “It is our considered judgment,” the historians wrote, “that if President Trump’s misconduct does not rise to the level of impeachment, then virtually nothing does.” |