McConnell not only is refusing to negotiate on impeachment rules -- he won't even talk to Democrats: Schumer

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told the press Tuesday that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) not only won't work with Democrats on crafting agreeable rules for the impeachment trial, he won't even speak to them.

Politico congressional reporter Burgess Everett quoted Schumer as he appeared before the press in the wake of McConnell's briefing about the timeline for the impeachment trial.

Other Republicans have encouraged McConnell to stop stonewalling Democrats because it is beginning to make them look bad as they get closer to their elections in 2020.

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) is one such Republican up in November trying to generate the appearance of fairness in the process.

“We need to start working together on procedures,” said Ernst.

As the new Quinnipiac University poll showed this week, 51 percent of voters support the impeachment of President Donald Trump. However, 46 percent believe he should be convicted and removed from office. A full 66 percent of Americans want John Bolton to testify, which shows overwhelming support for a fair trial with witnesses.

McConnell was once confident he could get rid of the impeachment inquiry against Trump, but as more information becomes available, support for a fair trial began to grow.