Trump impeachment trial set to begin in Senate within days, McConnell says
Majority Leader will consider whether to introduce witnesses 'at the appropriate time'
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Your support makes all the difference.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says Donald Trump's impeachment trial will begin next week if the House sends articles of impeachment to the Republican-led body on Wednesday, as expected.
The trial will begin on 21 January, he said. Mr Trump will become the third president in US history to face an impeachment trial.
The Republican leader — who said that he was in "total coordination" with the White House as the House moved to impeach the president, setting off a stalemate between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Senate over the assurance of an impartial trial with witnesses and evidence — said that he will consider how to deal with witnesses "at the appropriate time" but likely after the Senate has heard opening arguments.
Asked whether there can be a fair trial if there are no witnesses, Mr McConnell appeared to dismiss the question, saying that after the House process, "you really gotta wonder what the definition of a fair trial is".
In September, Democrats launched their impeachment inquiry into the president's alleged abuses of power with Ukraine, which he had pressured to announce an investigation into Joe Biden and his son in exchange for congressionally approved military aid while the country faced an ongoing Russian assault.
Following hours of hearings, multiple witness testimonies and a 300-page committee report detailing the timeline and evidence for the charges against him, the House voted to impeach the president on 18 December, by a vote of 229-198, largely along party lines.
Ms Pelosi initially refused to submit the articles of impeachment to the Senate as the Majority Leader boasted about his and Republicans' alliance with the administration. Mr McConnell also endorsed a resolution that would dismiss the charges against the president, which also include obstruction of Congress during the impeachment investigation.
On Tuesday, Ms Pelosi said a Senate dismissal amounts to a cover-up.
She said: "The American people will fully understand the Senate's move to begin the trial without witnesses and documents as a pure political cover-up. Leader McConnell and the President are afraid of more facts coming to light."
Ms Pelosi will proceed with a vote to assign managers and transmit the articles to the Senate on Wednesday.
John Roberts, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, will preside over the trial. He will begin swearing in members of the Senate before the trial begins.
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