Trump heads to Mar-a-Lago for the holidays
Impeachment proceedings in Senate likely in January
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump was heading to Florida on Friday after his historic impeachment, while plans for his speedy trial back in Washington remained clouded. Senate leaders jockeying for leverage failed to agree on procedures and perhaps new witnesses for the trial.
Trump is still expected to be acquitted of both charges in the Senate, where Republicans have the majority, in what will be only the third presidential impeachment trial in U.S. history. Proceedings are expected to begin in January.
But the impasse between Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York over whether there will be new witnesses and testimony — along with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s refusal to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate — have left the situation unresolved.
“Nancy Pelosi is looking for a Quid Pro Quo with the Senate. Why aren’t we Impeaching her?” Trump tweeted, mocking one of the accusations against him before heading out for a two-week stay at his Mar-a-Lago resort for the holidays.
McConnell, Trump’s most powerful GOP ally in the Senate, welcomed the president’s emerging defense team Friday for a walkthrough of the Senate chamber. White House counsel Pat Cipollone and legislative affairs director Eric Ueland, went to Capitol Hill to assess logistics.
A six-term veteran of the Senate, McConnell is acting very much though he has the votes to ensure a trial uncluttered by witnesses — despite the protests of top Democrats Pelosi and Schumer.
“We have this fascinating situation where, following House Democrats’ rush to impeachment, following weeks of pronouncements about the urgency of this situation, the prosecutors have now developed cold feet,” McConnell, R-Ky., said late
Thursday as senators left town for the year. “’We’ll continue to see how this develops, and whether the House Democrats ever work up the courage to take their accusations to trial.”
McConnell has all but promised an easy acquittal of the president. He appears to have united Republicans behind an approach that would begin the trial with presentations and arguments, lasting perhaps two weeks, before he tries to draw the proceedings to a close. The Senate will reconvene Jan. 3.
That’s sparked a fight with Pelosi and Schumer, who are demanding trial witnesses who refused to appear during House committee hearings, including acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and former national security adviser John Bolton.