SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
President Donald Trump looks on as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks during an event about judicial confirmations in the East Room of the White House on November 6, 2019 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
'He Is Planning to Rig the Impeachment Trial': McConnell Vows 'Total Coordination' With Trump on Senate Process
"The jury—Senate Republicans—are going to coordinate with the defendant—Donald Trump—on how exactly the kangaroo court is going to be run."
Dec 12, 2019
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Fox News Thursday night that while he has "no choice" but to hold a trial if the House votes to impeach President Donald Trump, that does not mean the process will be in any way impartial.
"Everything I do during this I'm coordinating with White House counsel," said the Kentucky Republican. "There will be no difference between the president's position and our position as to how to handle this."
McConnell noted that with "typical" legislative issues he has the power to simply block them from coming up for a vote, as he has done with a number of House-passed bills.
"We have no choice but to take it up," McConnell said of impeachment. "But we'll be working through this process hopefully in a fairly short period of time in total coordination with the White House counsel's office and the people who are representing the president."
Watch:
Democratic lawmakers viewed McConnell's comments as unsurprising confirmation that the GOP-controlled Senate has no plans to allow an objective impeachment trial.
"The Majority Leader proudly announcing he is planning to rig the impeachment trial for Trump," Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) tweeted Thursday night.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, told CNN that, "in other words, the jury--Senate Republicans--are going to coordinate with the defendant--Donald Trump--on how exactly the kangaroo court is going to be run."
McConnell's comments came after CNN reported Thursday that the Senate Majority Leader met behind closed doors with White House counsel Pat Cipollone "to coordinate closely for an impeachment trial."
"While no final decisions have been made, McConnell and Cipollone agreed that when a trial begins, the House Democratic impeachment managers would have an opportunity to present, followed by the Trump's lawyers presenting the President's defense," according to CNN. "At the conclusion of the presentations, the White House may provide its own briefing to Senate Republicans about the next steps it would want to see in the trial, including possible witnesses it would like to be called."
McConnell and other Senate Republicans have reportedly expressed support in private for a rapid impeachment trial that calls no witnesses.
"If Mitch McConnell goes through with his reported plan to hold a sham impeachment trial that acquits President Trump without calling witnesses, it will provide the perfect coda for the corrupt and farcical way Trump's defenders have handled this saga all throughout," the Washington Post's Greg Sargent wrote Thursday.
"In so doing," Sargent added, "the Senate Majority Leader and other assorted Trump propagandists will be unabashedly enshrining their position as follows: We've already decided in advance that the full facts will not persuade us to turn on Trump, no matter how damning they are, so why should we listen to them at all?"
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Fox News Thursday night that while he has "no choice" but to hold a trial if the House votes to impeach President Donald Trump, that does not mean the process will be in any way impartial.
"Everything I do during this I'm coordinating with White House counsel," said the Kentucky Republican. "There will be no difference between the president's position and our position as to how to handle this."
McConnell noted that with "typical" legislative issues he has the power to simply block them from coming up for a vote, as he has done with a number of House-passed bills.
"We have no choice but to take it up," McConnell said of impeachment. "But we'll be working through this process hopefully in a fairly short period of time in total coordination with the White House counsel's office and the people who are representing the president."
Watch:
Democratic lawmakers viewed McConnell's comments as unsurprising confirmation that the GOP-controlled Senate has no plans to allow an objective impeachment trial.
"The Majority Leader proudly announcing he is planning to rig the impeachment trial for Trump," Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) tweeted Thursday night.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, told CNN that, "in other words, the jury--Senate Republicans--are going to coordinate with the defendant--Donald Trump--on how exactly the kangaroo court is going to be run."
McConnell's comments came after CNN reported Thursday that the Senate Majority Leader met behind closed doors with White House counsel Pat Cipollone "to coordinate closely for an impeachment trial."
"While no final decisions have been made, McConnell and Cipollone agreed that when a trial begins, the House Democratic impeachment managers would have an opportunity to present, followed by the Trump's lawyers presenting the President's defense," according to CNN. "At the conclusion of the presentations, the White House may provide its own briefing to Senate Republicans about the next steps it would want to see in the trial, including possible witnesses it would like to be called."
McConnell and other Senate Republicans have reportedly expressed support in private for a rapid impeachment trial that calls no witnesses.
"If Mitch McConnell goes through with his reported plan to hold a sham impeachment trial that acquits President Trump without calling witnesses, it will provide the perfect coda for the corrupt and farcical way Trump's defenders have handled this saga all throughout," the Washington Post's Greg Sargent wrote Thursday.
"In so doing," Sargent added, "the Senate Majority Leader and other assorted Trump propagandists will be unabashedly enshrining their position as follows: We've already decided in advance that the full facts will not persuade us to turn on Trump, no matter how damning they are, so why should we listen to them at all?"
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Fox News Thursday night that while he has "no choice" but to hold a trial if the House votes to impeach President Donald Trump, that does not mean the process will be in any way impartial.
"Everything I do during this I'm coordinating with White House counsel," said the Kentucky Republican. "There will be no difference between the president's position and our position as to how to handle this."
McConnell noted that with "typical" legislative issues he has the power to simply block them from coming up for a vote, as he has done with a number of House-passed bills.
"We have no choice but to take it up," McConnell said of impeachment. "But we'll be working through this process hopefully in a fairly short period of time in total coordination with the White House counsel's office and the people who are representing the president."
Watch:
Democratic lawmakers viewed McConnell's comments as unsurprising confirmation that the GOP-controlled Senate has no plans to allow an objective impeachment trial.
"The Majority Leader proudly announcing he is planning to rig the impeachment trial for Trump," Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) tweeted Thursday night.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, told CNN that, "in other words, the jury--Senate Republicans--are going to coordinate with the defendant--Donald Trump--on how exactly the kangaroo court is going to be run."
McConnell's comments came after CNN reported Thursday that the Senate Majority Leader met behind closed doors with White House counsel Pat Cipollone "to coordinate closely for an impeachment trial."
"While no final decisions have been made, McConnell and Cipollone agreed that when a trial begins, the House Democratic impeachment managers would have an opportunity to present, followed by the Trump's lawyers presenting the President's defense," according to CNN. "At the conclusion of the presentations, the White House may provide its own briefing to Senate Republicans about the next steps it would want to see in the trial, including possible witnesses it would like to be called."
McConnell and other Senate Republicans have reportedly expressed support in private for a rapid impeachment trial that calls no witnesses.
"If Mitch McConnell goes through with his reported plan to hold a sham impeachment trial that acquits President Trump without calling witnesses, it will provide the perfect coda for the corrupt and farcical way Trump's defenders have handled this saga all throughout," the Washington Post's Greg Sargent wrote Thursday.
"In so doing," Sargent added, "the Senate Majority Leader and other assorted Trump propagandists will be unabashedly enshrining their position as follows: We've already decided in advance that the full facts will not persuade us to turn on Trump, no matter how damning they are, so why should we listen to them at all?"
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy