Nancy Pelosi: Trump Making ‘Phony Complaints’ in Impeachment Defense

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) accused President Donald Trump of making “phony complaints” Monday in his defense against the House Democrats’ partisan impeachment effort.

“The House cannot choose our impeachment managers until we know what sort of trial the Senate will conduct,” Pelosi wrote on social media, seemingly to answer criticisms of her refusing to transfer the House’s two impeachment articles to the Senate. “President Trump blocked his own witnesses and documents from the House, and from the American people, on phony complaints about the House process. What is his excuse now?”

The House cannot choose our impeachment managers until we know what sort of trial the Senate will conduct.

President Trump blocked his own witnesses and documents from the House, and from the American people, on phony complaints about the House process. What is his excuse now?

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) December 23, 2019

Pelosi’s claim followed a tweet by President Trump, in which he warned that sitting on those articles could cost House Democrats their majority.

“Pelosi gives us the most unfair trial in the history of the U.S. Congress, and now she is crying for fairness in the Senate, and breaking all rules while doing so. She lost Congress once, she will do it again!” the president wrote on Twitter.

Following Wednesday’s impeachment vote, Pelosi was noncommittal about sending the articles, alleging that Senate Republicans would be “impartial” jurors in a so-called unfair trial.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Monday slammed Pelosi for the delay and demanded that she “quit the charades” with respect to the proceedings.

“It seems to me a rather absurd position to say after you’ve impeached the president you won’t send the papers over to the Senate for the impeachment trial mandated by the Constitution,” McConnell told Fox & Friends.

“Let’s quit the charades — this is a political exercise,” he added. “All I’m asking … is that we treat Trump the same way we did President Clinton.”

The Kentucky Republican then said the Senate remains at an “impasse” until Pelosi transfers the articles.

“So, everybody enjoy the holidays,” he added, before affirming the upper chamber stands ready to hold a trial.