Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) may be preparing to conduct a Senate trial before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) officially sends articles of impeachment to the Senate.
After impeaching President Donald Trump, the House has been withholding articles of impeachment to pressure McConnell into crafting a fair trial with witnesses.
But Politico reported on Thursday that Pelosi's gambit may not pay off because McConnell can likely conduct a Senate trial without articles of impeachment.
From Politico:
ELI HONIG, a former federal prosecutor and CNN analyst, described it this way when Jake appeared with him on SiriusXM the other day: The Constitution stipulates other instances when things must be “transmitted” to the Senate -- such as the ratified results of the electoral college vote. It never says anything like that when it comes to impeachment. So, McConnell can hold a trial without the articles. The majority leader has been mum about his intentions thus far, but has said that impeachment will lead to acquittal -- something nearly all Capitol watchers believe.
Politico noted that Republican senators who have expressed "discomfort" over a predetermined Senate trial have not gone so far as to outline demands for McConnell.
"Discomfort is a feeling, not a strategy or demand," Politico pointed out.