McConnell blasts impeachment, will vote to acquit Trump

Senate Majority Leer Mitch McConnell on Tuesday slammed House Democrats’ drive to impeach President Donald Trump as “ most rushed, least fair, and least thorough” in history and said he will vote to acquit Trump.

McConnell said two impeachment charges against Trump — that he abused his power and obstructed Congress’ ensuing investigation — are “constitutionally incoherent” and don’t “even approach a case for first presidential removal in American history.”

Kentucky Republican opened Senate with a scathing assessment of case presented by House Democrats, but he did t dress wher Trump’s actions were inappropriate or wrong, as some Senate Republicans have conceded.

McConnell has dodged question about wher Trump’s actions — pressuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to anunce an investigation into Trump’s political rival Joe Biden — were inappropriate. He led a drive last week to deny Democrats any opportunity to call witnesses before Senate, and he has worked closely with Trump White House in shepherding case through Senate.

McConnell argued that “concerns about wher president’s motivations were public or personal, and a disagreement over wher exercise of power was in national interests” are t eugh to remove a president.

Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York weighed in immediately after McConnell’s remarks, accusing Republican leer and his GOP colleagues of sweeping Trump’s misconduct under rug.

“ ministration, its top people and Senate Republicans are all hiding truth,” Schumer said. charges are extremely serious. To interfere in an election, to blackmail a foreign country, to interfere in our elections gets at very core of what our democracy is about.”

Senate is scheduled to vote on two impeachment articles Wednesday afteron. Trump is delivering his State of Union dress Tuesday night, a platform in which he appears before Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., powerful House speaker who orchestrated last year’s House impeachment drive.

Trump is virtually certain to be acquitted, and member of eir party has indicated yet that y will break with ir party colleagues. Republicans hold 53-47 majority. A vote by two-thirds of chamber would be necessary to convict Trump.

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)