Mitch McConnell rejected Chuck Schumer's impeachment trial proposal. Schumer wants to know what he’s 'afraid of.'
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) wants to know what his GOP counterpart is afraid of.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Tuesday rejected Schumer's proposal to simultaneously agree to witnesses and the parameters of President Trump's possible Senate impeachment trial, accusing him of trying to "short-circuit" their plan to negotiate the trial together. McConnell seemed particularly upset that Schumer released his letter on the matter to the press before discussing it with him first.
"It's not the Senate's job to leap into the breach and search desperately for ways to get to 'guilty,'" McConnell said.
Schumer on Sunday said he wanted multiple Trump administration officials, including Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and former National Security Adviser John Bolton, to serve as witnesses in the trial. He is also seeking relevant documents blocked by the Trump administration.
McConnell, while he reportedly still wants to meet with Schumer, called the request "dead wrong" and a "fishing expedition."
Schumer responded quickly Tuesday, hinting that he thinks McConnell is worried about what the proposal might reveal.
Senator Mitch McConnell has not offered one argument as to why the witnesses I suggested should not give testimony.
Impeachment trials have witnesses.
Why does Senator McConnell oppose having a trial that hears from relevant witnesses?
What is he afraid of? pic.twitter.com/WNNAPENcLm— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) December 17, 2019
But not everyone sees it that way, including Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), one of Trump's harshest Republican critics. In Romney's view, McConnell is just trying to stick with the precedent.
Mitt Romney told me he has no issue with McConnell’s rejection of Schumer proposal for live witnesses. “My read of his comments were that he's looking for the same process that was employed during the Clinton impeachment trial,” adding: “I don't have any reason to question that”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) December 17, 2019
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