NPR news: McConnell will slow walk impeachment trial

[angrychair]

From NPR
"Breaking: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says the Senate will not begin impeachment trial or vote on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal until next year, and instead will focus on passing a defense authorization bill and avoiding a government shutdown."

Link to tweet

?s=09

[Aristus]

1. Fine with me. Drag it out through campaign season.

Let's tag Trump with it everywhere he goes...

[uponit7771]

3. +1

[riversedge]

4. #1

[backtoblue]

7. *1

[Raster]

16. +1

[GoCubsGo]

29. Yep, and the House might not immediately send it to the Senate anyway.

Speaker Pelosi might be doing some "slow walking" of her own--while they gather even more evidence.

[bluestarone]

2. I thought there was a time limit on the senate

After the House passes it to the senate? Maybe wrong here.

[mopinko]

8. i thought so too.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

14. not in the Constitution ...

Section 3

[ ... ]

The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. When sitting for that purpose, they shall be on oath or affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two thirds of the members present.

Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit under the United States: but the party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to indictment, trial, judgment and punishment, according to law.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articlei#section3

Section 5 says they determine their own rules, too.

[JDC]

25. So is it possible he does nothing with the articles?

Can he just sit on them like he has with so many bills and with Garland?

[Hermit-The-Prog]

28. McConnell has recently stated there will be a trial

[unblock]

26. Current senate rules require that they go straight to trial

But that's not a constitutional requirement.

So republicans could use the "nuclear option" to change the rules to allow a delay, possibly even to refuse to have a trial or vote at all. Hopefully they can't get away with that politically....

[lame54]

5. For McConnell that's fast-tracking it

[Kaleva]

6. Sounds okay with me. House can gather more evidence in the meantime.

[Takket]

9. Why would he do that?

I would think this is a band aid he would want to just tear off, and it isn’t like they haven’t all already determined how they will vote. Dragging it out only helps the Dems

[tinrobot]

10. Smells rotten. Is he going to pull a Merrick Garland?

Postpone it ad-infinitum?

[Blue_true]

19. He would have a problem making delaying a trial work.

It would be an anchor around Trump's ankles and would likely cause him to turn on McConnell politically, making it hard for the turtle in Kentucky.

[jaysunb]

11. Good....let impeachment marinate. n/t

[ananda]

12. I thought John Roberts would be in charge of impeachment proceedings.

???

[Blue_true]

20. He is, but not the schedule. McConnell owns when it starts.

Roberts then takes over.

[tritsofme]

23. Sort of? Once the trial starts he will mostly rely on the Senate parliamentarian for his rulings

All of which can be overturned by a majority vote in the Senate.

[OilemFirchen]

13. This is obviously an attempt to kneecap the five Senators running in the Democratic Primary.

It won't work, but it likely appeals to the knuckle-draggers that are the Republican base.

OTOH, during that period Trump can be referred to as "the impeached President awaiting his potential removal". That likely appeals to everyone else.

[beachbumbob]

15. slow walk does niether GOP or trump any good

way more GOP'er senators in tough election fights this go around

[DFW]

17. Sounds like a gamble based on something no one knows.

After all, common sense would dictate that he let it get done, and be over with ASAP. Since the outcome of the Senate vote is already known, what advantage does McTurtle have by delaying things into the campaign season?

Unless he knows something that will come out in the trial so devastating that it would do more damage than is currently imaginable?

Could be, but seems far-fetched. Still, he does nothing rashly and un-thought-out, so something's up.

[ecstatic]

21. MoscowMitch has the upper hand over Dump right now.

That means, dump has to do what mitch says to avoid the humiliation of both impeachment and removal.

I'm sure there's even more squid pro quos going on behind the scenes.

[Blue_true]

22. I believe that two really critical pieces of legislation have slipped past the 11th

hour and McConnell has to work with Schumer and Speaker Pelosi to get them addressed. Then the struggle for the constitution resumes.

You may be right, maybe McConnell has wind of some evidence that is devastating to Trump and the repugnants and he needs time to figure out talking points, he is a master at obfuscation.

[Blue_true]

18. Actually, he is clearing two important pieces of legistlation.

I hate to back that bastard, but his priorities on the four items seems right. The government will shut down around Christmas if nothing is done about funding, and the defense authorization has been languishing for close to six months.

[Joinfortmill]

24. That might work well for Dems.

I suspect there is much more to come.

[eleny]

27. Trump probably wants more time to manufacture dirt

But at the same time, the Dems can keep on investigating and airing the transgressions he keeps making as the campaign gets into full swing.

[DeminPennswoods]

30. No one from either party wants to start a trial during the holidays

And, the Senate does have to pass funding to prevent a govt shutdown right before xmas and the Defense Auth bill.

Right now only 3 sitting senators have qualified for the Dec debate and, of those, Klobuchar is hanging by a thread. TBH, the only senators that might be "hurt" by a delay tactic are Warren and Sanders and both have been campaigning extensively for months.