WASHINGTON -- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that he has the votes to start President Donald Trump's impeachment trial as soon as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi releases the documents, winning support from GOP senators to postpone a decision on calling witnesses.
"We have the votes," McConnell told reporters. He said the question of new witnesses and documents will be addressed later "and not before the trial begins."
The announcement came as Pelosi faced increasing pressure to send the two articles of impeachment -- abuse of power and obstruction of Congress -- to the Senate to allow a trial to begin. Pelosi has held on to the documents as Democrats seek guarantees about the scope of a trial, including witnesses.
The crux of the Democrats' case is the allegation that Trump tried to leverage a White House meeting and military aid, sought by Ukraine to combat Russian military aggression, to pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to launch an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.
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McConnell, R-Ky., told senators at a private lunch Tuesday that he has support for his plan, which includes holding opening arguments for both the House impeachment managers and for Trump's defense team, as well as ample time for questioning by senators.
"He has 51 [votes], for sure," Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said as he exited the meeting. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate.
Under the majority leader's plan, the vote would be held after the Senate receives the articles of impeachment from the House, and a decision would be made on whether to call witnesses once the first phase of the trial is over.
Senate Republican leaders did a final check Tuesday morning to make sure they have the votes for McConnell's plan, according to a GOP senator familiar with the discussions.
That echoes the format of President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial that was held 21 years ago.
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Democrats have been pressuring some Republican senators to demand a slate of four witnesses before the trial begins, an effort that ramped up Monday after former national security adviser John Bolton announced he would testify if subpoenaed by the Senate.
But Bolton's announcement did not appear to move any of the Republicans who may have sided with Democrats, such as Sens. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Both indicated Monday that a decision on witnesses could be made further into the trial.
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said he would like to hear from Bolton but did not endorse subpoenaing him to do so.
"The Clinton trial process provided a pathway for there to be witnesses," Romney said Tuesday. "And presuming we have a process like that, again, I would be able to support the Clinton impeachment process."
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said Tuesday that Pelosi should send the articles of impeachment to the Senate since it appears that McConnell is holding the GOP in line against a deal with Democrats on witnesses for a Senate trial.
"I think the speaker should send the articles regardless," Murphy told reporters.
Asked whether the time has come, Murphy said: "I think the time has passed. She should send the articles over."
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said Pelosi "has to make a decision based on her own judgment, but my [Republican] colleagues will be in effect aiding and abetting a cover-up."
Asked whether there was any point in continuing to hold the articles if Republicans have dug in, Blumenthal said, "Well, there has to be a trial. The Constitution requires it."
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., on Tuesday pressed his case for calling witnesses in the impeachment trial, warning in a floor speech that Republicans in the chamber would be part of a "large and awful cover-up" if they prevent a full airing of the evidence.
"A trial isn't a trial without evidence," Schumer said. "If the president is ultimately acquitted at the end of a sham trial, his acquittal will be meaningless."
From the Oval Office, where Trump was meeting with the prime minister of Greece, the president called the impeachment proceedings "a totally partisan hoax witch hunt."
Trump insisted "there was absolutely nothing done wrong" in his interactions with Ukraine.
Earlier Tuesday, Trump highlighted objections to the prospect of testimony from Bolton, as Bolton's announcement about testifying continued to roil Capitol Hill.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a Democratic presidential candidate, said that by blocking witnesses and documents in the impeachment investigation, the White House has made it difficult to be impartial.
"So long as all we're hearing is Trump squeezed the president of Ukraine for personal gain ... then I don't see how it's possible not to vote for impeachment," she said during an appearance on The View. "But bring forward a defense if you've got one."
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., on Tuesday pushed back on the plan by McConnell to delay a decision about witnesses, saying it "doesn't pass the smell test."
"My hope again will be that we get a chance to hear from everyone who's got firsthand knowledge," Warner told reporters. "These are individuals who could clear the president."
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, suggested Tuesday that Senate testimony from Bolton could actually help Trump's case, not hurt it.
"He's a very smart guy, as you know, and I'm sure he would not have said what he said without gaming this thing out," Cornyn told radio host Hugh Hewitt on his syndicated show.
Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said he has no say in whether Bolton testifies before the Senate but that he would like to have heard from Trump's former national security adviser during the House impeachment proceedings.
"I would have loved to see John Bolton in the House hearing," Hurd said during an appearance on CNN.
Hurd said he believes that House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., will eventually summon Bolton to a hearing, adding, "I'd participate in the hearing, for sure."
During the House impeachment proceedings, Hurd was critical of the Trump administration's actions toward Ukraine, saying they amounted to "bungling foreign policy." But Hurd said he had not seen sufficient evidence to vote for impeaching Trump.
During an appearance on MSNBC, Schiff commented on the possibility of calling Bolton for a hearing, saying, "We haven't taken that off the table."
"I think what makes the most sense, though, frankly, is for him to testify in the Senate trial. ... They should hear directly from one of the key witnesses," Schiff said.
McConnell deflected a question Tuesday on whether Trump acted appropriately with Ukraine, saying he had nothing more to add on that issue. He acknowledged the votes on witnesses and documents will be "the most contentious" part of the proceedings. "There will be, I'm sure, intense discussion," he said.
The GOP leader has come under criticism for saying he was not an impartial juror but rather was working in coordination with the White House on the trial strategy. Democrats similarly worked with Clinton's White House during his impeachment.
During the private lunch, McConnell walked through details of the trial proceedings, and senators indicated they were planning on possible Saturday sessions.
Information for this article was contributed by John Wagner, Colby Itkowitz, Seung Min Kim, Mike DeBonis and Erica Werner of The Washington Post; and by Lisa Mascaro, Mary Clare Jalonick, Alan Fram, Darlene Superville, Matthew Daly and Padmananda Rama of The Associated Press.
A Section on 01/08/2020