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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) stand back to back in the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
'Fascist-Enabling Coward': McConnell Declines to Reconvene Senate for Trial as House Moves to Impeach Trump
"Regardless of what he leaks to the press, McConnell remains Trump's 'Enabler-in-Chief.'"
Jan 12, 2021
Just before the House was set to vote Wednesday on an article of impeachment charging President Donald Trump with inciting insurrection, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reportedly made clear that he will not reconvene the Senate for a trial this week, a decision that ensures the proceedings will be pushed back until after President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration.
The Wall Street Journal reported that McConnell's team called the office of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) Wednesday to say that the majority leader "wouldn't reconvene the Senate early to accept an article of impeachment." The Senate is officially set to return on January 19, a day before Biden's inauguration.
"So McConnell will allow Trump to stay in office, issue as many crazy pardons as he likes, and control our military for another seven days."
--Alex Kotch, Exposed by CMD
"McConnell remains a fascist-enabling coward," tweeted progressive strategist Murshed Zaheed, who slammed the corporate media for giving the Kentucky Republican favorable press over his private support for impeaching Trump. McConnell has not publicly said whether he supports impeachment.
"As always, watch what he does not what he says (lies)," Zaheed added.
As Common Dreams reported earlier Wednesday, progressives demanded that McConnell demonstrate his support for Trump's impeachment by agreeing to reconvene the Senate for a trial immediately following the House's expected approval and transmission of the article of impeachment as early as Wednesday afternoon.
"McConnell must move to start an immediate trial in the Senate," Rahna Epting, executive director of advocacy group MoveOn, said in a statement late Tuesday. "We know the forces that attacked the Capitol last week are planning more attacks. We cannot afford to wait one more minute. Every moment Donald Trump is in the White House our nation is put in further danger."
Schumer, for his part, called on McConnell to use a 2004 law "that allows the Senate minority leader and majority leader to jointly reconvene the Senate in times of emergency."
"This is a time of emergency," Schumer said Tuesday. "I've asked him to call the Senate back. All he needs is my agreement--I'm still minority leader--and his agreement, he's majority leader. We could come back ASAP and vote to convict Donald Trump and get him out of office now before any further damage is done."
McConnell's refusal to reconvene the Senate during the final days of the current administration--and his final days as majority leader--further muddies the timeline for an impeachment trial. According to the Washington Post, Biden is currently exploring options to "simultaneously hold a trial of the president and pass urgently needed bills," including coronavirus relief, after he takes office next week.
Meanwhile, some conservatives--including former federal appeals court judge J. Michael Luttig--are claiming that it would be unconstitutional for the Senate to hold an impeachment trial against Trump after he leaves office, an argument that other experts have forcefully rejected. One reason to convict Trump after he leaves office, as commentators have noted, would be the possibility of barring him from holding office again in the future.
"So McConnell will allow Trump to stay in office, issue as many crazy pardons as he likes, and control our military for another seven days," tweeted Alex Kotch, an investigative reporter at Exposed by CMD. "Regardless of what he leaks to the press, McConnell remains Trump's 'Enabler-in-Chief.'"
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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. |
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Just before the House was set to vote Wednesday on an article of impeachment charging President Donald Trump with inciting insurrection, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reportedly made clear that he will not reconvene the Senate for a trial this week, a decision that ensures the proceedings will be pushed back until after President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration.
The Wall Street Journal reported that McConnell's team called the office of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) Wednesday to say that the majority leader "wouldn't reconvene the Senate early to accept an article of impeachment." The Senate is officially set to return on January 19, a day before Biden's inauguration.
"So McConnell will allow Trump to stay in office, issue as many crazy pardons as he likes, and control our military for another seven days."
--Alex Kotch, Exposed by CMD
"McConnell remains a fascist-enabling coward," tweeted progressive strategist Murshed Zaheed, who slammed the corporate media for giving the Kentucky Republican favorable press over his private support for impeaching Trump. McConnell has not publicly said whether he supports impeachment.
"As always, watch what he does not what he says (lies)," Zaheed added.
As Common Dreams reported earlier Wednesday, progressives demanded that McConnell demonstrate his support for Trump's impeachment by agreeing to reconvene the Senate for a trial immediately following the House's expected approval and transmission of the article of impeachment as early as Wednesday afternoon.
"McConnell must move to start an immediate trial in the Senate," Rahna Epting, executive director of advocacy group MoveOn, said in a statement late Tuesday. "We know the forces that attacked the Capitol last week are planning more attacks. We cannot afford to wait one more minute. Every moment Donald Trump is in the White House our nation is put in further danger."
Schumer, for his part, called on McConnell to use a 2004 law "that allows the Senate minority leader and majority leader to jointly reconvene the Senate in times of emergency."
"This is a time of emergency," Schumer said Tuesday. "I've asked him to call the Senate back. All he needs is my agreement--I'm still minority leader--and his agreement, he's majority leader. We could come back ASAP and vote to convict Donald Trump and get him out of office now before any further damage is done."
McConnell's refusal to reconvene the Senate during the final days of the current administration--and his final days as majority leader--further muddies the timeline for an impeachment trial. According to the Washington Post, Biden is currently exploring options to "simultaneously hold a trial of the president and pass urgently needed bills," including coronavirus relief, after he takes office next week.
Meanwhile, some conservatives--including former federal appeals court judge J. Michael Luttig--are claiming that it would be unconstitutional for the Senate to hold an impeachment trial against Trump after he leaves office, an argument that other experts have forcefully rejected. One reason to convict Trump after he leaves office, as commentators have noted, would be the possibility of barring him from holding office again in the future.
"So McConnell will allow Trump to stay in office, issue as many crazy pardons as he likes, and control our military for another seven days," tweeted Alex Kotch, an investigative reporter at Exposed by CMD. "Regardless of what he leaks to the press, McConnell remains Trump's 'Enabler-in-Chief.'"
Just before the House was set to vote Wednesday on an article of impeachment charging President Donald Trump with inciting insurrection, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reportedly made clear that he will not reconvene the Senate for a trial this week, a decision that ensures the proceedings will be pushed back until after President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration.
The Wall Street Journal reported that McConnell's team called the office of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) Wednesday to say that the majority leader "wouldn't reconvene the Senate early to accept an article of impeachment." The Senate is officially set to return on January 19, a day before Biden's inauguration.
"So McConnell will allow Trump to stay in office, issue as many crazy pardons as he likes, and control our military for another seven days."
--Alex Kotch, Exposed by CMD
"McConnell remains a fascist-enabling coward," tweeted progressive strategist Murshed Zaheed, who slammed the corporate media for giving the Kentucky Republican favorable press over his private support for impeaching Trump. McConnell has not publicly said whether he supports impeachment.
"As always, watch what he does not what he says (lies)," Zaheed added.
As Common Dreams reported earlier Wednesday, progressives demanded that McConnell demonstrate his support for Trump's impeachment by agreeing to reconvene the Senate for a trial immediately following the House's expected approval and transmission of the article of impeachment as early as Wednesday afternoon.
"McConnell must move to start an immediate trial in the Senate," Rahna Epting, executive director of advocacy group MoveOn, said in a statement late Tuesday. "We know the forces that attacked the Capitol last week are planning more attacks. We cannot afford to wait one more minute. Every moment Donald Trump is in the White House our nation is put in further danger."
Schumer, for his part, called on McConnell to use a 2004 law "that allows the Senate minority leader and majority leader to jointly reconvene the Senate in times of emergency."
"This is a time of emergency," Schumer said Tuesday. "I've asked him to call the Senate back. All he needs is my agreement--I'm still minority leader--and his agreement, he's majority leader. We could come back ASAP and vote to convict Donald Trump and get him out of office now before any further damage is done."
McConnell's refusal to reconvene the Senate during the final days of the current administration--and his final days as majority leader--further muddies the timeline for an impeachment trial. According to the Washington Post, Biden is currently exploring options to "simultaneously hold a trial of the president and pass urgently needed bills," including coronavirus relief, after he takes office next week.
Meanwhile, some conservatives--including former federal appeals court judge J. Michael Luttig--are claiming that it would be unconstitutional for the Senate to hold an impeachment trial against Trump after he leaves office, an argument that other experts have forcefully rejected. One reason to convict Trump after he leaves office, as commentators have noted, would be the possibility of barring him from holding office again in the future.
"So McConnell will allow Trump to stay in office, issue as many crazy pardons as he likes, and control our military for another seven days," tweeted Alex Kotch, an investigative reporter at Exposed by CMD. "Regardless of what he leaks to the press, McConnell remains Trump's 'Enabler-in-Chief.'"
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