President Donald Trump suggested that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is holding onto two articles of impeachment because they contain charges that are, as he says, not crimes, and are a “joke.”
In a tweet on Thursday morning, Trump claimed the two impeachment articles were “fraudulently produced” by “corrupt politicians” and called them “a joke and a scam.”
“Pelosi doesn’t want to hand over The Articles of Impeachment, which were fraudulently produced by corrupt politicians like Shifty Schiff in the first place, because after all of these years of investigations and persecution, they show no crimes and are a joke and a scam!”
Pelosi doesn’t want to hand over The Articles of Impeachment, which were fraudulently produced by corrupt politicians like Shifty Schiff in the first place, because after all of these years of investigations and persecution, they show no crimes and are a joke and a scam!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 9, 2020
His comments come as a growing number of Democratic senators have called for Pelosi to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate so the chamber can begin its trial.
Pelosi has said she would hold onto the impeachment articles until Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) laid out the procedure of the Senate’s trial, citing concerns that he conduct a trial with a pre-determined outcome in Trump’s favor.
In a separate tweet, Trump blasted Pelosi for holding on the impeachment articles again, saying, “She never sent the Articles to the Senate. Just another Democrat fraud.”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1215262141634306048
It has been three weeks since the House passed the articles of impeachment —though Congress adjourned for a two-week-long holiday recess — and lawmakers are beginning to grow impatient over the delay.
Some Senate Republicans have tried to get creative in ways to force the trial to begin or dismiss the charges altogether.
However, McConnell has insisted that the Senate cannot begin its trial until Pelosi sends the articles of impeachment to the Senate.
But he also made it clear he will not acquiesce to Pelosi’s demands that he release details about the procedure of the trial, saying there will be “there will be no haggling” with House Democrats.
After Pelosi wrote a letter suggesting that her colleagues should demand that McConnell release details on how he plans to conduct the trial, he fired back, saying the Senate will “address all these questions at the appropriate time.”
“The Senate will address all these questions at the appropriate time. And that is for the Senate, and the Senate only to decide. Period.”
On Tuesday, Pelosi reiterated to her colleagues in a closed-door meeting that she would continue to hold onto the articles of impeachment until McConnell reveals the procedure for the Senate trial.
