The president’s aides are urging senators to wrap up the impeachment trial quickly or face the prospect of legal fights that drag on for weeks — or even months into the campaign season.
The White House is delivering a stern warning to Republican senators: Make a wrong move and your spring could be ruined by the stain of impeachment.
With the latest revelations from former National Security Adviser John Bolton, President Donald Trump’s aides are trying to keep more Republicans from caving to the demands of Democrats who want witnesses in the president’s impeachment trial. Taking that step could drag proceedings out for weeks if not months due to legal fights, according to five people familiar with the situation, yet still end up with the same verdict: acquittal.
“We can rearrange the dominoes on the board. The outcome isn’t changing,” said Scott Jennings, who worked under President George W. Bush and is close to the Trump White House. “All this maneuvering — there is no point. This is a prudent path forward for the president.”
Many Republicans are eager to wrap up the impeachment trial, which could conclude this week if the Senate doesn’t call witnesses, and return to regular legislative business as they head into an election season.
The White House is telling senators that if they don’t resist the call for witnesses, the proceedings could “turn it into a full-fledged trial with multiple witnesses on both sides and drawn out legal battles on evidentiary issues and privilege,” said a Republican close to the White House. That “could drag things out for months“ and become “tough on all incumbents up for reelection.”
The pressure is coming from Trump’s legislative and communications staff, not Trump’s lawyers, according to a person familiar with Trump‘s legal team strategy.
Still, the White House strategy on witnesses may not resonate with the few vulnerable Republican senators running for reelection, including Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who feel pressure to show voters back home that they are trying to hold Trump accountable.
As Trump’s defense team concluded its opening statements Tuesday, the White House sent talking points to surrogates, lawmakers and Capitol Hill aides emphasizing the need for a swift verdict to “return to the work of the American people.”
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Trump aides are delivering a stern warning to Republican senators: Make a wrong move and your spring could be ruined by the stain of impeachmenthttps://t.co/FmpeB3UbXD
— POLITICO (@politico) January 29, 2020
“return to the work of the American people.”
Really? What work? Republicans had the presidency and both houses of congress. They accomplished almost nothing. Now they no longer have the house. So even if Trump survives impeachment and is re-elected and the Republicans keep the senate, they still won’t do anything.
Probably not the best argument for voting against witnesses and speeding up this sham impeachment trial.
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