Hours before House Democrats are expected to impeach President Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday urged them to pull back.
“All eyes today are on the House of Representatives,” said Mr. McConnell, Kentucky Republican. “The country is waiting to see whether these House Democrats will give in to the temptation that every other House in modern history has managed to resist and misuse the solemn process of impeachment to blow off partisan steam.”
Mr. McConnell said if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her colleagues move forward with an impeachment vote Wednesday, he expects to meet with Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer to lay the groundwork for rules and procedure for an impeachment trial in their chamber, which would likely begin in January.
Mr. McConnell said the Senate unanimously agreed to a process during President Clinton’s impeachment proceedings, during which they heard from the House impeachment managers and the president’s lawyers before deciding whether to call witnesses.
“If 100 senators thought this approach was good enough for President Clinton, it ought to be good enough for President Trump,” Mr. McConnell said.
Mr. Schumer, though, said this week he wants to hear from four key witnesses and needs the Republican majority to agree to that from the beginning of negotiations as they lay out procedures for the impending trial.
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• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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