Following the ongoing impeachment proceedings in the United States, the leadership of the US Senate has disclosed that the president of US will not be removed from office owing to weak case presented by the Democrat controlled US House of Representatives.
According to reports, the House Judiciary committee led by Democrat Jerry Nadler voted along party lines on Friday to submit two articles of impeachment against Trump and the US leader could be impeached as early as Wednesday next week.
Trump’s impeachment by the US House is as a result of a July phone call he made with Ukraine’s president Zelensky asking for investigation of his political rival Joe Biden in return for military aid.
The House could impeach Trump next week but the Senate led by Republican Mitch McConnell says the Democrats have no case and he will be working with the White House lawyers and the president to ensure a quick and smooth trial in the senate.
“The case is so darn weak coming over from the House. We all know how it’s going to end,” Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell said on Fox News program “Hannity.” on Saturday.
“There is no chance the president is going to be removed from office.”
McConnell also said he hoped that none of the members of his caucus would vote to remove the president from office, adding “it wouldn’t surprise me if we got one or two Democrats” to vote to acquit Trump .
He explained that the articles of impeachment would be different from ordinary legislation that makes its way from the House, in that: “We have no choice but to take it up. But we’ll be working through this process hopefully in a fairly short period of time, in total coordination with the White House counsel’s office and the people who are representing the president, in the way all of the Senate.”
Mitch declined to reveal what a Senate trial might look like or whether Republicans would call witnesses such as former Vice President Joe Biden, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., or the intelligence community whistleblower, whose complaint about Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky sparked the impeachment inquiry.
“I’m going to take my cues from the president’s lawyers,” said McConnell.
“My hope is that it will be a shorter process rather than a long, lengthy process.”
