Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in an interview Monday on Fox News, said witnesses in the impeachment trial have not been ruled out. McConnell repeated that he would not give in to the Democrats’ request for witnesses to testify before the trial begins, but that a decision would be made after opening arguments.
“We haven’t ruled out witnesses,” McConnell said in an interview with “Fox & Friends.” “We’ve said, ‘Let’s handle this case just like we did with President Clinton.’ Fair is fair.”
In Clinton’s trial in 1999, McConnell stated that senators went through opening arguments, had a written question period, and then decided what witnesses to call.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has requested four witnesses, including Mick Mulvaney and John Bolton. who were all blocked by the White House in the House proceedings.
A newly released e-mail concerning the withholding of military aid to Ukraine has underscored the need for witnesses to testify.
McConnell insists that Republicans are at an “impasse” with Democrats on rules for a trial that he says would be their first order of business in the new year.
This story is from Reuters.