President Trump said Sunday House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Intelligence Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff should be witnesses at the Senate trial over his impeachment.
“Why did Nervous Nancy allow corrupt politician Shifty Schiff to lie before Congress? He must be a Witness, and so should she!” the president tweeted.
This tweet comes after an earlier one on Sunday morning where he said Mrs. Pelosi should be asked during her interview on ABC’s “This Week” why Mr. Schiff recited a parody during the House impeachment hearing of the president’s phone call with the Ukrainian president, attempting to make it sound like a conversation out of the movie “The Godfather.”
“George @GStephanopoulos, ask Crazy Nancy why she allowed Adam “Shifty” Schiff to totally make up my conversation with the Ukrainian President & read his false words to Congress and the world, as though I said it? He got caught! Ask why hearing was most unfair & biased in history?” the president tweeted.
The ABC host did question Mrs. Pelosi about the president’s tweet, but she did not acknowledge the question — only saying his criticism is a “boost.”
“I don’t like to spend much time on his crazy tweets,” she said.
House Democrats impeached the president by a party-line vote Dec. 18, charging him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, stemming from a July phone call with the Ukrainian president where he requested a probe into his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden.
Mrs. Pelosi has not transmitted the articles of impeachment to the upper chamber yet, arguing she wants assurance the trial in the Republican-controlled Senate to be fair with witness testimony and more evidence.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has refused to cave, saying the chamber will follow the same procedures set in 1999 for President Clinton’s impeachment trial. During that time, the House impeachment managers presented the charges and the president’s legal team was able to respond. The issue of witnesses was debated later during the trial.
Despite Democrats’ demands not being met, Mrs. Pelosi signaled the articles could be transmitted to the Senate as early as Tuesday, which could allow the trial to kick off later this week.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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