Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she plans to send the House-passed impeachment articles to the Senate as soon as lawmakers strike a deal on how to conduct a trial.
“The next thing for us will be when we see the process that is set forth in the Senate,” she said. “Then we’ll know the number of monitors that we may have to go forward.”
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Pelosi must appoint Democratic lawmakers to serve as managers to prosecute the case in the Senate. The House has to pass a bill authorizing Pelosi to appoint the managers.
“When we see what they have, we’ll know who, and how many, we will send over,” Pelosi, a California Democrat, said.
The House is set to adjourn for the week, which means the House is unlikely to vote until January at the earliest on a resolution authorizing Pelosi to appoint the impeachment managers who will deliver the articles to the Senate.
Senate leaders are expected to meet “soon” to discuss the terms of a Senate trial, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said Thursday.
[Related: ‘No hurry’: McConnell waves off Pelosi threat to withhold impeachment articles]
Pelosi left the impeachment process in limbo Wednesday when, in the moments after the House impeached President Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress, she announced there are no immediate plans to appoint managers to deliver the articles.
“I was not prepared to put the managers and that bill yet because we don’t know the arena we are in,” Pelosi said Thursday.
She grew frustrated Thursday when reporters continued to question her about her plans for the impeachment articles.
Pelosi said she would appoint managers “when we see what their process is, not until then.” She then declined further questions on it.
“I’m not going to go there anymore,” she said.
The House approved articles of impeachment along party lines Wednesday. All but a handful of Democrats backed the articles. No Republicans voted for them.
Pelosi told reporters, “I have a spring in my step because of the moral courage of our caucus.”
