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McConnell: 'We've heard enough' on impeachment, prolonged Senate trial could be 'embarrassing scene'
By Julia Musto
Published December 17, 2019
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Tuesday that he has "heard enough" from both sides on impeachment and that a prolonged trial -- with each side calling witnesses -- could lead to an "embarrassing scene" for the country.
In an interview on the "Brian Kilmeade Show," McConnell said that "under the rules of impeachment" in the Senate, they will "have to take the matter up."
"We'll listen to the arguments that the House managers appointed by Pelosi make, we'll listen to the response from the president's lawyers, and we'll have a period of written questions, and then the Senate will have to make a decision," he explained.
MCCONNELL RIPS SCHUMER IMPEACHMENT DEMANDS, VOWS NOT TO PURSUE 'FISHING EXPEDITION'
"Do we know enough, have we learned enough after listening to all this that we want to vote on the two very weak articles of impeachment? Or, do we want to have a show trial in which both sides try to embarrass the other and put on an embarrassing scene, frankly, for the American people," McConnell stated.
House Democratic leadership sources tell Fox News they aren't sure how long the impeachment debate will run on Wednesday or when the final votes on impeachment will be cast.
In a letter on Sunday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., suggested dates for the trial, a presentation of the articles by impeachment managers, a list of witnesses including Mick Mulvaney and John Bolton, how to handle the witnesses, and ideas on how much time the Senate should devote to debate in the trial.
On the Senate Floor on Wednesday morning, the Kentucky senator ripped Schumer's requests for a trial in the Senate, adding that it "would set a nightmarish scenario for impeachment."
McConnell said that Schumer's approach is "dead wrong" and a "fishing expedition" -- a sentiment echoed by many other Republicans over the course of the inquiry.
However, in a Senate floor speech on Tuesday, Schumer accused McConnell of being "partisan," "slanted," and "unfair."
"Are you being unfair?" Kilmeade asked.
"Well, Schumer made exactly the opposite argument 20 years ago during the Clinton impeachment," McConnell laughed. "So, he's not being consistent at all."
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"Obviously, I think we've heard enough. And, after we've heard the arguments we ought to vote and move on," he explained.
"If we go down the witness path, we're going to want the whistleblower. We're going to want Hunter Biden. You can see here that this would be kind of a mutual assured destruction," he warned. "We know how it's going to end. The president is not going to be removed from office.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/mitch-mcconnell-impeachment-chuck-schumer-trial