Donald Trump’s Senate trial may be delayed by the refusal of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (pictured) to allow witnesses with first-hand knowledge of the Trump-Ukraine affair that has led to charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
On Thursday, a day after Trump was impeached by the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she would not transmit the charges until the rules of the trial were agreed between McConnell and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Trump is facing the trial because of his 10-month campaign, with personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, for Ukraine to announce investigations of political rivals and to cover up Russia’s interference in the 2016 US election. Documents and testimony from 17 current and former US officials have established that Trump pressured Kiev by freezing security assistance and refusing a White House visit by new President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
See also EA on Monocle 24, BBC, and talkRADIO: Why Trump Had to Be Impeached
EA Video Analysis: An 8-Point Guide to The Impeachment of Donald John Trump
McConnell is seeking a brief process, pushing through a Republican majority to prevent Trump’s conviction. He is refusing any witnesses such as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney; and former National Security Advisor John Bolton.
After meeting White House lawyers, The Majority Leader said last week that he will not adhere to his Constitutional oath to be an “impartial juror”. Instead, McConnell declared that he would work alongside the White House throughout the trial.
The Majority Leader has rejected a proposal by Minority Leader Schumer for a trial beginning January 7 that would include four witnesses: Mulvaney, Bolton, Mulvaney’s top aide Robert Blair, and Michael Duffey, the top political appointee at the Office of Management and Budget.
Pelosi said Thursday that she would not transmit the charges or the name of House legislators who would present the case until she was sure of a fair process: “We are ready. When we see what they have, we will know who and how many we will send over.”
McConnell continued to stonewall, reinforcing White House orders to staff not to comply with subpoenas for testimony — orders that led to the obstruction of Congress charge against Trump.
“[Some] House Democrats say they would prefer never to transmit the articles. Fine with me!” he blustered.
Trying to convert his own obstruction into political advantage, McConnell asserted in a speech on the Senate floor that the request for witnesses showed the weakness of the case for impeachment.
Pelosi responded, “I don’t think anybody expected that we would have a rogue president and a rogue leader in the Senate at the same time.”
But there were signs of Trump’s irritation with McConnell’s tactics. He reportedly asked a series of advisors about the Majority Leader’s maneuvers and spoke with close friend Sen. Linsey Graham.
Trump was “mad as hell”, Graham said: “I just met with the president, and he is demanding his day in court.”
On Twitter, Trump shouted, “I want an immediate trial!”
Responding to McConnell on the Senate floor, Schumer jabbed, “Is the President’s case so weak that none of the President’s men can defend him under oath?”
Rep. James Clyburn told CNN:
Until we can get some assurances from the majority leader that he is going to allow for a fair and impartial trial to take place, we would be crazy to walk in there knowing he has set up a kangaroo court.
If you have a preordained outcome that is negative to your actions, why walk into it? I would much rather not take that chance.
