Trump’s White House is preparing for some Republican senators to join Democrats in voting to call witnesses in the “president’s” upcoming impeachment trial, which could get underway in the coming days, according to CBS News. That’s bad news for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) who promised “total coordination” with Trump for the trial — but it gets worse for Sen. Turtle Shit.
McConnell is reportedly short of the 51 votes that are required to dismiss the articles of impeachment. And the White House is aware of at least four Republicans, and likely more, according to CBS, that will vote to call witnesses. On top of Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Mitt Romney of Utah, and possibly Cory Gardner of Colorado, the White House is also viewing Rand Paul of Kentucky as a “wild card” and Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee as an “institutionalist” who might vote to call witnesses.
CNN reports that McConnell doesn’t have the votes:
WH wants to include in a Senate resolution the ability of senators to dismiss the charges with 51 votes, similar to Clinton trial. At moment, McConnell doesn’t have the votes for dismissal, and is leery about taking something to floor that could fail. https://t.co/7EXkjeZ59C
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 13, 2020
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“Yes, I am,” Lamar Alexander told me when asked if he’s open to witnesses. “What I think is important is we have a vote on whether we need additional documents and witnesses. And that would only be appropriate after we’ve heard the case and asked our questions.”
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 13, 2020
Alexander: “I would vote against an immediate dismissal of the charges because I think we are taking an oath to be impartial.
Susan Collins also said she would not vote to dismiss the charges outright, per @EllieCKaufman
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 13, 2020
“McConnell has made clear to his colleagues that he wants Trump to emerge victorious in the trial and is not willing to hold a vote that could fail,” CNN reports. “He’s also keenly aware of what a vote to dismiss would look like politically, according to Republican senators, and has shepherded his conference away from the idea for several weeks.”
The optics are already bad, though, after McConnell, a juror, admitted to coordinating with the defendant. Senators can stay in office for decades, so this would be a good time for them to ask if their careers are worth it since Trump can only serve one more term if he’s even reelected.
Featured image via Political Tribune gallery
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