Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said on Monday he would have ‘no choice’ but to take up the impeachment of Donald Trump if the House votes to charge the president.
‘Under the Senate rules we’re required to take it up if the House goes down that path. And we’ll follow the Senate rules,’ he told CNBC.
‘I would have no choice but to take it up. How long you are on it is a different matter, but I would have no choice but to take it up based on a Senate rule on impeachment,’ he added.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said he would have ‘no choice’ but to take up impeachment if the House votes to charge Donald Trump
If the House votes in favor of articles of impeachment, the trial of President Trump would be held in the Senate and be presided over by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
There had been speculation that McConnell, a Trump ally, would try to delay a trial until after the election.
He’s played tough politics before, most famously in the 2016 election when he refused to grant then-President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, a vote in the Senate.
But McConnell said he would not try to change the Senate’s rules on impeachment, pointing out it would take 67 votes – a high bar unlikely to be met – in order for that to happen.
‘No, the Senate impeachment rules are very clear,’ he said.
But McConnell also refused to address a question about President Trump’s tweet storm over the weekend and into Monday where the president said House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who is leading the impeachment inquiry, should be arrested for ‘treason’ and warned Democrats could cause a ‘civil war’ with their inquiry.
‘What I want to do is spend our time accomplishing things for the American people,’ McConnell responded.
McConnell, who will be on the ballot for re-election himself next year, also got in a shot at Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
‘If I were the speaker, I wouldn’t want to go into next year’s election having it credibly said that all you did for the whole Congress was harass the president and try to remove him from office,’ he said.
Pelosi, for her part, has stressed legislation the House has passed – including a measure that would call for universal background checks on gun purchases – and is pushing for legislation to lower prescription drug prices.
She, in turn, has blamed McConnell for not taking up legislation the House has passed in the Senate.
Last week, the speaker announced a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump after allegations he urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden.
The White House released a transcript of the July 25 phone call on Tuesday – the same day Pelosi announced the Democrats’ inquiry into the president.
It showed Trump making the ask although the president has maintained it was a ‘perfect’ call and in no way pressured his Ukrainian counter part to act.
Six House Democratic-led House committees are investigating Trump’s actions.
The result of those probes – if warranted – would be used to draw up articles of impeachment, which the full House would vote on.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump last week
If the House approves articles of impeachment, the case goes to the Senate for trial, which would be presided over by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
There appear to be votes in the lower chamber to move the impeachment process along.
More than half of the members of the House – all Democrats – support such a move, indicating it would pass.
There are 220 Democrats who support impeachment, according to a count by Politico.
With 435 House members, it would take 218 votes to approve articles of impeachment of the president.
In the Senate, Republicans hold 53 seats to the Democrats’ 45 seats – two seats are held by Independents who caucus with Democrats – which will make it hard to get the two-thirds vote – 67 senators – needed to convict the president.