Mitch McConnell Says He Is ‘Not An Impartial Juror’ In Impeachment Trial
As the full House prepares to vote on impeachment Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell again revealed that he has no plans to be unbiased in the forthcoming Senate trial into Donald Trump‘s behavior, Breitbart reports.
“I’m not an impartial juror,” McConnell said during a Tuesday press conference.
“This is a political process. There’s not anything judicial about it. Impeachment is a political decision. The House made a partisan political decision to impeach. I would anticipate we will have a largely partisan outcome in the Senate. I’m not impartial about this at all.”
Per CNN, McConnell also said that the Senate trial would lead to Trump’s acquittal by the Republican-led Senate.
“We will have a largely partisan outcome,” McConnell said.
The 77-year-old politician’s comments reportedly left Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer “utterly amazed.”
“Mitch McConnell said proudly he is not an impartial juror. The American people want Mitch McConnell to be an impartial juror in this situation,” Schumer said before calling on the other GOP senators to remain impartial.
Despite the clash between the pair, McConnell believes that he and Schumer will be able to agree on how the first part of the trial is run. But when it comes to the second phase — which involves more difficult questions, such as whether or not to call witnesses — McConnell predicts partisan gridlock.
“I’m optimistic that we can agree on phase one,” he said.
“It’s pretty obvious we’re likely to disagree on phase two.”
Mitch McConnell makes it clear that Trump's impeachment trial will be a sham with no witnesses. pic.twitter.com/eSQ5qKLVKP
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) December 17, 2019
McConnell has been open about the role he will play in the upcoming Senate trial. He recently admitted to his plans to “coordinate” with the White House during the process, which led to backlash and a call to recuse himself from the trial. In response, McConnell claimed that such coordination was also present in the impeachment trial of former President Bill Clinton, noting that Clinton and the Democrats planned strategy in the Senate.
“We’re on the same side,” McConnell said of his relationship with the Trump and the White House.
Along with McConnell, Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham has been open about his plans to approach to trial from a partisan perspective. The pair’s comments drew criticism from Independent Justin Amash, who accused them of violating their oath to support and defend the Constitution.
A recent report revealed that a group of freshman Democrats is pushing for Amash to be appointed the impeachment leader in the upcoming Senate trial. The Michigan Representative has been open about his support of the impeachment probe and his concern with the current direction of the GOP.
