House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Tuesday wondered aloud whether Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is connected to the Kremlin, according to a report.
Pelosi met with House Democrats to discuss how she would send two articles of impeachment — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — to the Senate after a roughly three-week delay.
The Democrat from California delayed sending the articles to the Senate since the House voted to impeach President Trump on December 18. Pelosi said last week she’d withhold the articles until McConnell unveiled a resolution detailing the guidelines for the Senate impeachment trial, including whether witnesses and new evidence would be allowed. But McConnell gained enough support from Republican colleagues to begin the trial without making a commitment on witnesses and on Friday Pelosi hinted the standoff would soon end.
During the meeting, the speaker also said she would name which party members will be named as impeachment managers in the upper chamber’s trial, who she has since revealed will include Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Jerry Nadler (D-NY). Further, the California Democrat ratcheted up her attacks against McConnell, suggesting his unwillingness to bend to Democrats’ demands is a sign that Russia has tainted the impeachment process.
“The sources also said Pelosi laid into McConnell, saying, as she’s said before, that he is acting like a rogue Senate leader. She mused that sometimes she wonders whether McConnell has Russian connections,” CNN reports.
Pelosi’s reported comment comes after she accused the Kentucky Republican of being an “accomplice” to alleged Russian interference in the upcoming 2020 election.
“Sometimes I wonder about Mitch McConnell too. Why is he an accomplice to all of that? He has resisted sources going in a manner commensurate with the threat for state agencies, whichever they are in a state, could be the secretary of state or whatever, to protect our infrastructure, our critical infrastructure of elections,” she told ABC This Week host George Stephanopoulos on Sunday.
McConnell has said the Senate’s trial on impeachment of President Trump will likely begin Tuesday.
He said he has the support of 53 Republican senators on an initial resolution of how to move forward in the trial, including setting up arguments from the prosecution and defense, then providing a period for the senators to submit written questions.
“Then after that,” he said, “The more contentious issue of witnesses would be addressed by the Senate.”
Over the week, President Trump suggested that Republican Senators dismiss the charges rather than giving legitimacy to the articles soon to be passed on from the House.
“Why should I have the stigma of Impeachment attached to my name when I did NOTHING wrong? Read the Transcripts! A totally partisan Hoax, never happened before. House Republicans voted 195-0, with three Dems voting with the Republicans. Very unfair to tens of millions of voters!” the president tweeted.
Why should I have the stigma of Impeachment attached to my name when I did NOTHING wrong? Read the Transcripts! A totally partisan Hoax, never happened before. House Republicans voted 195-0, with three Dems voting with the Republicans. Very unfair to tens of millions of voters!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 12, 2020
The UPI contributed to this report.
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