Nancy Pelosi is not moved by politicians on both sides of the aisle urging her to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate. At her weekly news conference on Thursday, the Speaker of the House said, “I will send them over when I’m ready,” adding, “and that will probably be soon.”
Following the official vote to impeach the 45th President of the United States, Pelosi vowed to hold on to the articles until Mitch McConnell would promise a fair trial and clearly outline the rules for the Senate hearings.
“I keep giving you the same answer,” Pelosi told reporters who questioned when she would submit the set of charges to be acted upon. “As I said right from the start, we need to see that the arena in which we’re sending our managers. Is that too much to ask?”
The GOP has already promised to be biased in Trump’s Senate trial. Prior to the formal House vote, McConnell said he would work together with Trump’s legal team to ensure a speedy acquittal in the Senate. He also contended that though multiple witnesses gave testimony confirming that Trump had abused his powers as Commander-in-Chief, withholding foreign aid for his political gain, the impeachment proceedings were “unfair” and based on “shoddy work” on Pelosi and the Democrat’s part.
The Republican party took their objection to the trial a step further yesterday when, as the New York Times reports, Senate Majority Leader McConnell signed a resolution that would alter Senate rules and allow impeachment articles to be dismissed without a trial if they were not received within 25 days.
To that, Pelosi said the party is acting out of fear, saying, “Witnesses, facts, truth — that’s what they’re afraid of.”