The Hill: McConnell’s got the votes to dictate Senate trial rules

[mystery-ak]

The Hill: McConnell’s got the votes to dictate Senate trial rules

Ed Morrissey Posted at 8:41 am on January 7, 2020

And he got them from Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski. Despite the bombshell from John Bolton, Mitch McConnell pledged not to budge from his position that the Senate should adopt the same rules package that got 100 votes in 1999 for Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial. Thanks to the simple majority requirement for setting the rules, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi can’t force him to do otherwise:

    Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has the votes to quash Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer’s (N.Y.) demands to require additional witnesses testify at the start of President Trump’s impeachment trial.

    Two key moderate senators, Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), on Monday evening backed McConnell’s position that the Senate should follow the precedent of the 1999 Clinton impeachment trial and defer until later in the process the question of calling additional witnesses.

    Collins told reporters at Monday evening votes that the Senate should follow the 1999 precedent and consider the question of subpoenaing additional witnesses and documents only after House impeachment managers and Trump’s defense team present their opening arguments.

more
https://hotair.com/archives/ed-morrissey/2020/01/07/hill-mcconnells-got-votes-dictate-senate-trial-rules/

[catfish1957]

Good.  1st point of order.  Subpoena Joe and Hunter Biden for Sentate testimony.

[Snarknado]

The next step should be to get Roberts on board with setting a trial date. Roberts will probably want to give Pelosi every opportunity to justify further delay but I suspect he's uncomfortable with the way the dems are gaming what should be a serious process.

[PeteS in CA]

https://hotair.com/archives/ed-morrissey/2020/01/07/go-mcconnell-readying-vote-1999-senate-trial-rules/

Breaking: McConnell Readying Vote On 1999 Senate Trial Rules

This didn’t take long, did it? Almost as soon as Mitch McConnell got past the 51st vote to use the rules from Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial for Donald Trump’s, he moved to seal the victory:

Senate Republican leaders are preparing to move forward on a set of impeachment trial rules without Democratic support.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is on the verge of having sufficient backing in his 53-member caucus to pass a blueprint for the trial that leaves the question of seeking witnesses and documents until after opening arguments are made, according to multiple senators.

That framework would mirror the contours of President Bill Clinton’s trial and ignore Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s demands for witnesses and new evidence.

[Fishrrman]

So... McConnell now has 51 votes (out of 53 Republican Senators).

Who are the two he doesn't have?
That fool Romney must be one.
But who's the other?

[Cyber Liberty]

So... McConnell now has 51 votes (out of 53 Republican Senators).

Who are the two he doesn't have?
That fool Romney must be one.
But who's the other?

Probably Gardner.  Or Murkowski.