In Senate’s court
Friendlier crowd for prez in upper chamber
The job of the House is done — now call in the Senate.
With President Trump’s impeachment on the books, the torch will be passed to the upper chamber, where he’s expected to face a trial — and a much friendlier crowd — in the new year.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who controls the Republican-majority body, says he expects to kick off trial proceedings on the two House-approved articles of impeachment in January and has signaled he wants to rapidly acquit Trump of all charges.
Before then, Speaker Nancy Pelosi must tap a group of House members to act as impeachment managers stewarding the trial.
The managers will effectively serve as prosecutors, presenting the Democratic case for Trump’s removal and squaring off with the president’s White House counsel team, who will act as defense attorneys.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan, Brooklyn) and Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (DCalif.) are viewed as frontrunners to lead the team of impeachment managers.
It’s unclear how many managers Pelosi (D-Calif.) will appoint, though it’s unlikely she’ll select more than 13, the number of Republican managers in President Bill Clinton’s 1999 impeachment trial.
Once managers are appointed and the Senate trial starts, a partisan tug-of-war is expected to unfold.
Democrats want McConnell (R-Ky.) to allow witnesses to be called, saying he would betray his constitutional oath if he steamrolls ahead toward an immediate vote to acquit Trump.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) issued a letter to McConnell over the weekend laying out a proposed trial structure that would include testimony from four key witnesses who refused to play ball in the House impeachment inquiry, including former national security adviser John Bolton and acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney.
Schumer’s proposal asked for trial proceedings to start Jan. 6.
But McConnell rejected Schumer’s proposal, calling it “nightmarish” and saying he won’t even pretend to be an “impartial juror” as he plans to coordinate Trump’s defense with the White House counsel.
McConnell and Schumer are expected to meet either this week or next to discuss the format of Trump’s trial.
Regardless of witnesses, the Senate is unlikely to ultimately convict and remove Trump from office, as that requires two-thirds of the Republican-controlled chamber to vote guilty.
That means 20 Republicans would need to cross party lines, presuming all Democrats vote to convict.
Trump’s impeachment trial is just the third one in history.
Clinton was acquitted at his trial in 1999, as was President Andrew Johnson in 1868.