McConnell believes impeachment push will help rid Trump from the GOP, but has not said if he will vote to convict - CNNPolitics
Category: News & Politics
Via: gsquared • 3 years ago • 44 commentsBy: Manu Raju, Phil Mattingly, Jim Acosta and Kaitlan Collins (CNN)
It looks like the dam is about to break.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Washington (CNN)Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has indicated that he believes that impeaching President Donald Trump will make it easier to get rid of the President and Trumpism from the Republican Party, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.
Another person with direct knowledge told CNN there's a reason McConnell has been silent on impeachment as other Republicans have pushed back: he's furious about last week's attack on the US Capitol by the President's supporters, even more so that Trump has shown no contrition. His silence has been deliberate as he leaves open the option of supporting impeachment.
McConnell has made no commitments on voting to convict Trump, and wants to see the article itself before voting. It's a stark contrast to the President's first impeachment when McConnell repeatedly spoke out against Democratic intentions to hold Trump accountable for a pressure campaign on the Ukrainian government to investigate Joe Biden and his family.
McConnell has been steadily moving his conference away from Trump for weeks. While he knows they all aren't there with him, the Kentucky Republican believes the party needs to turn the page.
The New York Times was first to report on McConnell's thoughts about impeachment.
The relationship between the Senate majority leader and the President -- the two most powerful men in the Republican Party -- has essentially collapsed, multiple sources told CNN.
A source familiar with the relationship between the two men told CNN that McConnell is furious with Trump. The source said McConnell "hates" Trump for what he did last week following the attacks on the Capitol that left at least five people dead including a Capitol Hill police officer.
Trump and McConnell still have not spoken since last Wednesday's riot, a separate source familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN. Another source said the two men haven't spoken since McConnell's floor speech acknowledging Biden as President-elect in December. McConnell couldn't get Trump on the phone when he refused to sign the stimulus bill over the Christmas week, a third source told
CNN. McConnell has since told others in the wake of the stimulus circus he won't talk to Trump again.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
CNN's Devan Cole contributed to this story.
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If McConnell turns on Trump and supports conviction following impeachment by House, he will most certainly vote to prohibit Trump from ever holding federal office again.
the sedition/impeachment issue is becoming a litmus test of republican political survival. fun to watch.
Pee Wee Herman. Funny
according to a source with knowledge of the matter......
Another person with direct knowledge....
multiple sources told CNN....
A source familiar with the relationship between the two men....
Trump and McConnell still have not spoken since last Wednesday's riot, a separate source familiar with the matter confirmed to CNN. Another source said the two men haven't spoken since McConnell's floor speech....
Some pretty weak sources ya have there, pally.
McConnell won't participate in this stupid Dem led shit show, he's got too much to lose
And besides, the nitwits in the House simply don't have a valid case
They're not my sources.
Trump already destroyed them. McConnell has a lot more to gain by convicting Trump and voting to prevent him from holding federal office again.
That's your opinion. I think they have an excellent case.
Actually, McConnell refused to participate in the GOP led shit show. You should go listen to his speech. Here is a pertinent part.
Yet still stronger than anything you ever provide.
Lol please, he isn't going anywhere for at least 6 more years, he is sitting pretty.
Greg, there is literally nothing Donald Trump can do that will make you rethink your support. He could rape and murder every member of your family right in front of you and your response would be "well, they had it coming!"
rejoice! the republican party is taking the brunt of public abuse. it's time for the tea party to merge with all the other right wing insurgency groups and take the lead............ er, right after they shed the domestic terrorist label they gifted themselves with last week. they should probably consider getting a new flag and getting rid of the maga hats though, that loser is f'n done.
Not only the public abuse but they are also losing donors due to the riot and refusing to acknowledge the ECV.
While I agree with the list of "sources" being ridiculous Mitch is a smart man. He has to be weighing the pros and cons of supporting Trump to the end and keeping a portion of Trumps base and ditching Trump so he can't be involved in 2024 thereby losing some of the trump base but gaining establishment republicans and independents that could not bring themselves to vote for Trump. Tough call.
Et tu, Mitch?
Liz Cheney and another Republican have said they will vote for impeachment
Did she? That would be great. All I have heard so far is that she has called it "a vote of conscience" without committing one way or the other. It has also been reported that the House leadership will not "whip" the votes on the impeachment bill.
She was very clear that she is voting for impeachment.
Representative John Katko will vote for impeachment.
That is so great. Thanks for posting the links Kavika.
yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah-splat!
Perfect
Stay tuned for breaking news.....
Well, knock me over with a feather!
I would think that the past four years also have factored into McConnell's position. Now that Trump is clearly out of the political future, McConnell is free to pursue the direction he thinks is correct.
I am not convinced that impeaching Trump at this point is good for the R party. Although the case against him is one where I personally believe he should be convicted. Seems to me a censure on the way out would be better. What would have been best IMO is if his cabinet had invoked the 25th. That would be a shocking statement to Trump supporters that they need to get a clue as to what this guy really is. But, alas, that is DOA.
For that reason, I believe that Pence's political carrier is DOA too. If inciting an insurgency and attempting to usurp the Constitution isn't enough to convince Pence that Trump is unfit, what would?
I think Pence's political career has been dead for years now. Where do you go after being Trump's main sycophant? Frankly, I am surprised the man survived the experience without losing his mind. The cognitive dissonance must have been incredible.
It was pretty certain that Pence wouldn't have been re-elected in Indiana so Trump saved Pence from the abyss.
I don't know that Pence ever had any 'strongly held' beliefs that would cause him anxiety to relinquish to his sycophancy to Trump. Initially, I doubt Pence thought Trump was all that bad. After he got a good look at what he had gotten himself into, it was too late and as so many in the GOP have stated, Pence may have been terrified by what Trumpsters would do to him if he didn't tow the line. Hell, there are plenty of bat shit crazies right here in Indiana that will make life hell for Pence. He may end up back in Colorado...
Yep. Pence very likely jumped at the chance to be in history as a VP of the USA. He likely convinced himself that things would work out. I am sure he struggled as VP trying to figure out how he can fulfill his duties and have some semblance of integrity and free conscience. That would be my guess.
Regardless, it is indeed clear that he will be instantly forgotten. If I were him (shudder) I would write a book which provides an honest depiction of what it was like to serve in the Trump administration. He might even get a movie deal from that.
An 'honest depiction' would require Pence to admit that he violated his oath of office.
I think he'll be another coward that will claim that he protected 'Merica' from Trump's worst machinations and insist that he was being 'heroic'.
Exactly.
They all enabled a would-be dictator.
How often are VPs really remembered unless they become POTUS? He missed his chance to be remembered as the shortest sitting POTUS in history. THAT was dumb. I heard on the news that he thought he couldn't invoke the 25th because it was unconstitutional for him to do so.
What was that about losing his mind in your other comment? Pretty hard to lose something you never had
He may simply not have the guts to take this action. But it is also possible that he truly believes that not invoking the 25th is in the best interest of the nation. No way to know.
I certainly have no problem with that dominionist moron committing political suicide. VP Q-tip should keep in mind that his secret service protection ends 6 months after 1/20/21, and there was a lot of maga scum that wanted to hang him last week. it must suck putting party before country all the time. maybe "mother" told him what he should do.
I've seen some discussions of the house using the 14th amendment section 3 if the impeachment trial fails.
They are both egocentrics. Trump more extravert, of course.
McConnell has toadied while that was his best strategy. But he'll knife Trump at the first opportunity.
IMO any procedure that would bar Trump from ever holding a senior public office position again is more important for the nation than even his being convicted for his crimes. It is scary that so many Americans actually voted for him, and everything he has been doing (and in some cases NOT doing such as being contrite) is aimed at his maintaining that base for 2024. Look how it has infected even people "supposedly" intelligent enough to post comments on this site. IMO Trump is more dangerous to America than the virus has been.
I agree that Trump should never hold office again. But the Senate would have to convict and then, after conviction, vote to prevent Trump from holding office again. There really is not enough time to pull this off while he is the sitting PotUS (normal case). They would have to take the historically unique step of finishing this up after he has left office.
If both parties were heavily involved in this then it would be a net loss for Trump. But if this is not decisively bi-partisan, it runs the risk of backfiring.
If it cannot be completed before Biden is inaugurated, then unless Trump is constitutionally permitted to pardon himself, I would be sadly disappointed with Biden if he were to pardon him. Biden might do so on the basis of his quest to unify the country, but IMO he would lose a lot of Democrat support if he didn't.
Anyway, it's pretty obvious to me if not to others, that Pompeo is setting himself up to be the 2024 candidate, and could name Nikki Haley as his VP in order to gain the kind of support that Harris' appointment brought to Biden.
It's no secret that McConnell doesn't like Trump. It's just that he's a political savvy operator and the party was Trump. Now that Trump is persona non grata AND that his wife is getting credible death threats AND there's 6 days left of the term I'm sure he feels it's okay for the Senate to wash their hands of that stain.
One of Trump followers:
As if we need another reason to hate Trump, I just watched a documentary on Amazon called “The Dissident”. Can’t walk away from that one without a deeper loathing for a man who cares only about himself and looks out only for his own interests. Unbelievable!
But what is truly unbelievable is that none of the other G20 leaders would seriously sanction Saudi Arabia or take MBS to task after the killing of Jamal Khashoggi either.
What sanctions do you imagine?
Well in our case, and some of the other countries, certainly not selling such a regime hundreds of millions of dollars of military weapons. Congress tried to see to at least that and Trump vetoed it. Could stop buying their oil, although the US has already moved in that direction.
What other leverage does the world have against such egregious human rights violations in/by other countries? Especially in the face of such overwhelming evidence?
Those would indeed be a good start... and I don't know what more could be done. I'm not sure that MBS would give a damn, but I agree that the symbolic would be good.
Sadly, where we have a presence and the area is a strategic importance, the US will always look away. Just take a look at Turkey. They committed a genocide, that even inspired Hitler, yet we will not recognize it, because the Turks will cut off relations. Erdoğan had ethnically cleansed the country of almost all Christians. He is an extremist but yet we do business with them because we need them.
We are actually building up troops in Saudi Arabia and are welcomed. Not a chance, that we are going to ruin that for ourselves even if it's the right thing to do.
Interesting that you mention Turkey, as Khashoggi was murdered/dismembered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. And it was the Turkish authorities who really blew the whistle on what happened.
I agree, it is disturbing that we and other countries around the world will turn our heads to such things for reasons of varying validity. Sometimes it seems like "foreign policy" all boils down to tiptoeing around landmines, instead of building alliances based on trust, honesty, and respect.