Mitch McConnell proposes a swift impeachment proceeding. By Andrea Widburg

Posted By on January 21st, 2020

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/01/mitch_mcconnell_proposes_a_swift_impeachment_proceeding.html

On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced a “Resolution to provide for related procedures concerning the articles of impeachment against Donald John Trump, President of the United States.” The plan calls for such streamlined proceedings that the whole impeachment could be resolved by the end of next week, before President Trumps State of the Union address on February 4.

These are the main terms in the 4-page document:

  • The House shall file publicly available evidentiary materials that the House Judiciary Committee produced or that others submitted to it.
  • The Senate shall vote on whether “to consider and debate under the impeachment rules any motion to subpoena witnesses or document.”
  • Depending on the vote, the House may have admitted into evidence some or all of the materials in the record.
  • The deadline for the House and the President to file motions other than evidentiary motions is 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 22.
  • Motion responses are due by 11:00 a.m. on the same day.
  • Oral argument on the motions will be held at 1:00 p.m. on the same day.
  • After a ruling upon the motions (if any are made), the House will have a 24 hour time period over the course of two days to make its case.
  • The President will then have the same amount of time (24 hours over two days) to present his defense.
  • Senators will then have 16 hours to question both parties.
  • Following questions, each side is allowed no more than 2 hours to argue whether or not addition witnesses or documents should be subpoenaed. The Senate shall immediately rule on those arguments.
  • If the Senate votes to allow more evidence, the witnesses shall be deposed and only then will the Senate decide which witnesses will testify.
  • And then the Senate votes.

McConnell is signaling that he believes the impeachment lacks merit. (We agree.) Otherwise, he would propose a more leisurely pace for the proceedings. Instead, reading between the lines, it appears that McConnell thinks that President Trump’s attorneys are correct that the impeachment will fail because the Democrat House failed to make either factual or legal arguments to justify the Articles of Impeachment in the first place.

The resolution is set for a vote on Tuesday.

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