Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell
Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellGaetz Targets Cheney At Rally In Her Home State Senate Sad Signal – Trump Is One To The Law Books The Hill’s Morning Report – Dems Question Trial; January will be MORE deadliest pandemic month (Ky.) On January 13 announced to colleagues that he was open to vote to condemn President Trump
Donald Trump ‘QAnon Shaman’ Willing to Testify in Impeachment Trial, Lawyer Boebert Clashes with Parkland Survivor on Twitter: ‘Rest Your Keyboard, Child’ Night Defense: FEMA Asks Pentagon To Help With Vaccinations | US Says Taliban ‘Has Failed To Comply With Obligations’ | Army investigates Fort Hood chaplain MORE for instigating an uprising, but he has since taken steps behind the scenes to dampen democratic impeachment efforts.
On Tuesday, 45 GOP senators voted in support of a motion by Sen. Rand Paul
Randal (Rand) Howard Paul The Senate’s Sad Signal – Trump Is One To The Law Books The Hill’s Morning Report – Dems Demanding Trial; January Will Be Deadliest Pandemic Month Trump’s Censure Faces Major Problems in Senate MORE (R-Ky.) Declare Trump’s second impeachment trial unconstitutional on the grounds that Trump is no longer president.
The vote made it clear that there will be no Senate condemnation of Trump as it would take at least 17 GOP votes to get the 67 votes needed in a 50-50 Senate.
“Do the math,” sen. Susan Collins
Susan Margaret Collins Kaine looks to file censorship next week with the aim of barring Trump from future office White House aides pushing back the idea of splitting the Byrd Rule aid package (Maine), one of five Republicans opposing Paul’s motion, made a comment to reporters after the vote.
McConnell was described by associates as “furious” at the mob’s attack on the Capitol, and he continues to say he will remain open to legal arguments brought forward in the trial.
It seems clear that he is more than open to the party leaving Trump, especially after the former president was widely blamed for the GOP losing two second elections in Georgia that cost it the majority of the Senate.
At the same time, McConnell probably wanted to avoid an intense fight within the caucus over a Trump conviction. And he’d seen the backlash in the house where Rep. Liz Cheney
Elizabeth (Liz) Lynn CheneyGaetz targets Cheney at rally in her home state GOP has growing problem Marjorie Taylor Greene Trump praises ‘cordial’ meeting with McCarthy in Florida MORE (Wy.) And other Republicans who voted to impeach Trump have come under furious criticism from Trump supporters.
In recent weeks, McConnell has taken a series of steps leading up to the vote on Paul’s motion that GOP senators said were highly likely to pass.
And the effect of those moves and Paul’s motion was to quash the Senate trial before it even started.
“How the pieces fell together I don’t know, but they fell together and Mitch is pretty crafty,” said a GOP senator speaking to The Hill.
McConnell’s leadership team informed Senate Republicans on Jan. 21 that Chief Justice John Roberts would not be chairing the trial.
Roberts chaired Trump’s first lawsuit a year ago. His replacement is Sen. Patrick Leahy
Patrick Joseph LeahyLeahy expects to chair the impeachment after health issues. The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden Seeks Vaccine for Everyone by Summer; Trump disapproval? Why John Roberts’ absence from the Senate trial is no MORE surprise (D-Vt.), The senate president pro tempore and senior democratic senator.
That revelation “crystallized” for Paul the idea of challenging the constitutionality of the entire procedure, given that a Democratic senator would sit.
The timing of the Paul vote was also curious.
The Senate voted on Paul’s motion immediately after GOP senators heard a presentation from George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley, an outspoken critic of a former president’s democratic impeachment attempt.
A second GOP senator who asked for anonymity said the surprise mood was wrapped up in many GOP senators immediately after the presentation over lunch.
“That was kind of a sandbag for us,” the legislator said.
Her. Lisa Murkowski
Lisa Ann Murkowski Kaine is looking at censorship next week with the aim of banning Trump from future conservatives, we cannot return to the party of ‘no’ under Biden Schumer warns that Democrats can only do it next week in the field of coronavirus control. (Alaska), one of five GOP senators who voted against Paul’s motion, said she was sorry that the senate was forced to vote immediately after Turley’s presentation and before they could hear different views.
“For an important institutional question like this, the fact that this occurred to us made everyone a little flat-footed,” she said.
“So we heard a side,” she added. “I think just about everyone was quite surprised to not only take a public position today, but also vote on this.
McConnell also took steps to delay the opening of the trial.
He turned down the Democratic leader of the Senate Charles Schumer
Chuck SchumerPsaki expects DHS nominee Mayorkas to be head of task force to reunite divorced families Biden DHS chooses Senate progress and removes Republican hurdle Biden and Congress can change child poverty with a stroke of the pen MORE(DN.Y.) is demanding to reconvene the Senate in time from the January recess to start the impeachment process while Trump was still in office.
At the time, it was not clear what would happen because of the delay, but it appears that the anger over the January 6 attack is simmering in the caucus.
“That’s McConnell’s game, he knows that the longer something waits, the more it buzzes,” said a GOP assistant to the Senate. “McConnell knows if you wait for something, the hiss will stop.”
McConnell bought more time for his colleagues by insisting that House impeachment managers wait until January 28 to present their article of impeachment to the Senate, which would have given the Trump defense team until February 11 to issue a Submit preliminary briefing.
He insisted that the president, unpopular as he was immediately after the Capitol attack, would receive a fair trial and a fair trial, even if the trial took longer than Democrats and even many Republicans wanted.
McConnell and Schumer eventually agreed that the House impeachment managers would exhibit the impeachment articles on January 25 and that the president’s designation would not take place until February 8, with February 9 being set as the start date of the trial.
There were reasons for Schumer to agree to a postponement.
He had to weigh the concerns of Democrats like Sens. Chris Murphy
Christopher (Chris) Scott Murphy Schumer Promises To Continue With Trump Trial Despite Setback The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden: Focus On Vaccine, Virus, Travel Tensions Rise After House Floor Gun Incident (D-Conn.) And Tim Kaine
Timothy (Tim) Michael KaineKaine is looking at a charge next week to ban Trump from future office. The Hill’s Morning Report – Dems Question Process; January Will Be Deadliest Pandemic Month Bipartisan Group Discusses Senate Rules Change MORE (D-Va.), Who did not want to immediately begin the impeachment process for getting in the way of President Biden’s cabinet choices and working on a COVID-19 bill.
McConnell did not urge his colleagues to vote on the Paul motion in any way, and he did not advocate or oppose a conviction.
But a third Republican senator, who asked for anonymity to discuss behind-the-scenes maneuvers, said the way the debate played out at the GOP conference was a result of McConnell’s handiwork.
The senator said he had reviewed McConnell’s statement on Jan. 13 that he had not decided how to vote on an impeachment article, more of a warning to Trump not to do anything stupid, such as pardon the rioters who stormed the Capitol.
“Even going back to the beginning when McConnell sent the message that he was open to vote to condemn, I think that may have been designed to help save the country and prevent Trump from doing things even more harmful,” said the senator. .
Other GOP senators said they thought McConnell was ‘holding the door open’ to vote for a conviction if additional ‘damning’ information emerged about Trump’s role in shaking up the crowd that stormed the Capitol on January 6.
It’s unclear to what extent McConnell just reacted to changing political winds.
But GOP senators say it’s rare for the old senator’s hand to be out of play when driving the GOP caucus.
“Not much happens to surprise Mitch,” said the second GOP senator, who asked for anonymity.