Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell plans to move ahead with rules for an impeachment trial without an agreement from Democrats, an individual familiar with the matter told the Washington Examiner.
The agreement does not address the fact that the House of Representatives has not sent over articles of impeachment, and Republicans still plan to wait to receive the articles before beginning the trial.
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McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, has not been able to reach an accord with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat. He’ll move ahead without an agreement, the individual said, after gaining a consensus among GOP senators.
House Democrats on Dec. 19 passed two articles of impeachment against President Trump, charging him with obstruction of Congress and abuse of power. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, has been withholding the impeachment articles in an effort to force McConnell to call the witnesses Democrats seek. McConnell has not indicated whether he supports a rule change that would allow the Senate to proceed with a trial without the House delivering the articles.
McConnell wants to proceed with a trial and vote on witnesses after hearing the case presented by Democrats against Trump and the defense offered by White House lawyers.
Schumer wants a pretrial agreement to summon witnesses, including former national security adviser John Bolton, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, and two others.
Democrats believe the witnesses, as well as additional documents, will show Trump acted improperly when he sought Ukraine’s help investigating former Vice President Joe Biden and Democrats.
McConnell said a midtrial vote on witnesses follows a precedent set during the 1999 impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton.
[Byron York: ANALYSIS: Behind Bolton’s decision]
