House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is expected to be meeting with House Democratic Caucus members this week to discuss when to send over the two impeachment articles against President Donald Trump to the Senate.
On Sunday, during ABC News’ “This Week,” Pelosi said she will be “consulting with my members this week on Tuesday morning at our regular caucus meeting” on whether to send the articles and when it would occur. She added that they would vote on it.
“I always said I would send them over. There shouldn’t be any mystery to that,” the House speaker added. Pelosi previously noted during a press conference on Jan. 9 that she would not be holding the impeachment articles “indefinitely.”
Prior to the articles being transmitted to the Senate, the House has to appoint impeachment managers through a resolution.
Noting what she believes House Democrats “accomplished” in holding the impeachment articles in recent weeks, Pelosi said “that we wanted the public to see the need for witnesses with firsthand knowledge of what happened, documentation.”
See Pelosi’s comments below:
Speaker Nancy Pelosi tells @GStephanopoulos she will be "consulting" with her members Tuesday morning and they will vote on when to send the articles of impeachment over to the Senate. https://t.co/YvVflADfpf pic.twitter.com/CwVZyEvghH
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 12, 2020
Lawmakers in the Senate have been itching for the articles to be sent over since the House passed them on Dec. 18. However, Pelosi has said she wouldn’t send them over until she knew there would be a fair trial in the Senate.
“All we want to know is what are the rules, it doesn’t mean we have to agree to the rules or we have to like the rules,” Pelosi said at last Thursday’s press conference, adding, “We just want to know what they are.”
Even some Democrats in the House and Senate have urged Pelosi to send them over, including Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wa.), who later walked back his comments and said he “wholeheartedly” supports Pelosi’s decision, as IJR previously reported.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) indicated last Thursday that if the Senate does not receive the impeachment articles this week then the Senate will move forward with its legislative agenda, as IJR reported.
The two articles of impeachment against Trump are obstruction of Congress and abuse of power charges.
