ANALYSIS: On impeachment, senior House Democrat crosses Pelosi and quickly retreats
by Byron York
| January 09, 2020 11:54 AM
Democratic Rep. Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, is one of the more powerful lawmakers on Capitol Hill. But he just got a quick education on the cost of breaking with Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Smith appeared on CNN Thursday morning, mostly to discuss the situation in Iraq. But anchor John Berman also asked about Pelosi's decision not to send the House-passed articles of impeachment to the Senate for trial. "Is it time, chairman?" Berman said.
"I think it is," Smith answered. "I mean, I understand what the speaker is trying to do, basically trying to use the leverage of that to work with Democratic and Republican senators to try to get a reasonable trial ... but at the end of the day, just like we control it in the House, [Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell controls it in the Senate."
Smith wasn't finished. "I think it was perfectly advisable for the speaker to try to leverage that to get a better deal," he continued. "At this point, it doesn't look like that is going to happen, and yes, I think it is time to send the impeachment to the Senate and let Mitch McConnell be responsible for the fairness of the trial."
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