Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s attempt to influence the Senate’s impeachment trial process an amateur move.
McConnell warned Pelosi from the Senate floor on Thursday that she should transmit impeachment articles against President Trump soon or the Senate would “get back to the people’s business.”
“Should future House majorities feel empowered to waste our time with junior varsity political hostage situations? Should future speakers be permitted to conjure up this sword of Damocles at will and leave it hanging over the Senate unless we do what they say? Of course not,” McConnell said.
MCCONNELL:”Should future House majorities feel empowered to waste our time w/ junior varsity political hostage situations?Should future Speakers be permitted to conjure up this sword of Damocles at will & leave it hanging over the Senate unless we do what they say? Of course not”
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) January 9, 2020
Pressure on Pelosi to transmit the articles to the Senate has increased since Democratic senators have started echoing Republicans’ calls to move the process forward. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California said on Wednesday that Pelosi “should send them over.” Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia has also sided against Pelosi.
On Thursday, CNN host Alisyn Camerota said that McConnell had outmaneuvered Pelosi and “sort of won this one.”
Pelosi spoke to reporters on Thursday and said that she would send the articles to the Senate “soon.” She did not commit to a date that she would send them over.
“I’m not holding them indefinitely. I will send them over when I’m ready, and that will probably be soon,” she said
