–Senate Majority Leader McConnell to Respond to Pelosi Maneuver Thursday
WASHINGTON (MaceNews) -Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi had a surprise for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell after the as-expected Wednesday night votes approving two articles of impeachment – a time-out, holding up the required Senate trial.
Suggesting she is waiting for some development on the Senate side Pelosi said she won’t necessarily take the final step triggering a trial right away, leaving open how long she’ll keep the Senate waiting.
Sending over the two articles of impeachment immediately “would’ve been our intention, but we’ll see what happens over there,” she said.
After the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, the triggering documentation, which takes a separate House vote empowering its trial managers, the articles of impeachment were transmitted immediately.
That separate House vote now may be held up a couple of weeks or longer, blocking any plans in the Republican-controlled Senate for a speedy trial perhaps beginning even before the end of the year that would summarily acquit the president.
McConnell is to hold a news conference Thursday to address the unprecedented development.
In a second post-impeachment twist, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff told MSNBC’s Rachal Maddow after the impeachment votes that he has asked Vice President Mike Pence to explain his role if any in the Ukraine affair that led to impeachment, saying he wants to find out if Pence is involved in a “cover up.”
The impeachment votes went as expected after a day of final debate, with the first article being approved by the Democratic House majority 230-197 and the second 229-198.
Any delay in the Senate trial does not change the fact that now President Donald Trump has become only the third president in American history to be impeached.
In an exceptionally long rally appearance in Battle Creek, Michigan, lasting more than two hours, President Trump said, “It doesn’t feel like I’m being impeached.” He recounted his administration’s accomplishments, again aired all his grievances against the Democrats in the House at great length and personally attacked more than a dozen of his perceived political enemies.