Dems Bristle at McConnell's Rules for Senate Impeachment Trial

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and President Donald Trump (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

By    |   Monday, 20 January 2020 10:30 PM EST ET

Democrats are bristling at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's proposed rules for President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, reports The Hill.

"Sen. McConnell repeatedly promised senators, the public, and the press that his rules for the trial would be the same as the rules for President Clinton's trial," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement. "After reading his resolution, it's clear Sen. McConnell is hell-bent on making it much more difficult to get witnesses and documents and intent on rushing the trial through.

"On something as important as impeachment, Sen. McConnell's resolution is nothing short of a national disgrace," he continued.

Under McConnell's resolution, evidence from the House impeachment inquiry cannot be entered into the Senate trial record until after the question of additional witnesses and documents receives consideration.

After the four days of opening statements — two days per side — senators will be allowed up to 16 hours for questions to the prosecution and defense, followed by four hours of debate. Only then will there be votes on calling other witnesses.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., tweeted:

"Let's be 100% clear – the only reason to restrict the impeachment managers to 24 hours over 2 days is to make sure the evidence is presented in the dead of the night, when no one is watching. It's not about finding the truth or honoring our duty It's all about the coverup."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Politics
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's proposed rules for President Donald Trump's impeachment trial have rankled Democrats, according to The Hill.
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Monday, 20 January 2020 10:30 PM
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