Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is willing to testify in the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump if a judge orders him to.
Pompeo told reporters he would appear in the Senate in a Wednesday press conference with Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness on an official trip to the island nation, according to the Hill.
“If I am legally required to testify, as I’ve said before, I’d be happy to do it,” Pompeo said, adding that he has not followed the impeachment proceedings going on in Washington.
The Senate passed rules for the trial in a party line vote early Wednesday morning after hours of debate on the floor. Wednesday kicked off the opening arguments between the House managers picked by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Trump’s defense team, led by White House counsel Pat Cipollone.
The Senate trial began after weeks of stonewalling by Pelosi. The House speaker refused to transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate for weeks in an attempt to influence Senate trial rules. Pelosi gave in to pressure from Republicans and some members of her caucus after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell threatened to hold a vote to dismiss the articles before a trial.
