‘Most rushed, least thorough & most unfair’ impeachment vote in history sets ‘toxic’ precedent – Sen. McConnell

19 Dec, 2019 16:14 / Updated 5 years ago

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell addressed the House voting to impeach President Donald Trump from the Senate floor and said the effort is “rushed” and unlike any other in history.

Speaking from the Senate floor on Thursday morning, McConnell blasted the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump as “the most rushed, least thorough and most unfair” in American history. 

House Dems were celebratory on Wednesday night after passing articles of impeachment against Trump. The charges are abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. McConnell said the standard for the charges are based on a “pandora’s box of subjective political impeachment” and they set a “toxic” precedent.

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The Kentucky senator, who will oversee an impeachment trial once the articles of impeachment are transferred from the House, said “230 years of tradition died” on Wednesday night as Congress passed “constitutionally incoherent” articles of impeachment. He argued that Democrats have presented no evidence for their charges, but have instead gone after the administration for refusing to let administration officials take part in the impeachment inquiry. This, he argued, is presidential privilege and not proof of illegal activity. 

By setting the “low bar” they have set with their vote, McConnell said Democrats have put future presidents more at risk of being impeached over basic disagreements and the Senate could be further “swamped” with “partisan” impeachment efforts in the years to come. 

McConnell also addressed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi not committing to immediately transferring the articles of impeachment to the Senate, to which McConnell said she is “too afraid” to have the Senate trial kick off since she knows it will not pass. 

“Prosecutors are getting cold feet,” he said of Pelosi.

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