How Mitch McConnell fought to save Donald Trump from his first impeachment: Book
by Cami Mondeaux, Breaking News Reporter |
October 06, 2022 08:21 AM
Then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) played a major role during then-President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial, working behind the scenes to save him from being convicted by the Senate.
Before Trump’s impeachment trial in January 2020, McConnell worked to convince swing vote Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) to vote against calling more witnesses, according to the forthcoming book Unchecked: The Untold Story Behind Congress’s Botched Impeachments of Donald Trump. Tensions were high between the two Senate Republicans, and McConnell reportedly sought to use his influence to help sway the former president’s chances of survival in his first impeachment trial, in which he faced charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.
“McConnell never threatened. He never bullied. And though he often left her space to follow her own intuition, he was an expert at laying the guilt on thick and backing her into a corner,” wrote journalists Rachael Bade and Karoun Demirjian.
The procedural Senate vote to call more witnesses needed only a simple majority to pass. Sens. Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) were both expected to vote with Democrats, making Murkowski a key swing vote because if she also voted yes, the final tally would land at 50-50, throwing the decision to Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. McConnell knew Murkowski had a deep respect for Roberts and the courts, and he tried to use that to his advantage, according to the book.
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/mitch-mcconnell-fought-to-save-donald-trump-from-first-impeachment
