Mitch McConnell ripped for wanting ‘Soviet justice’ for Trump: ‘In this country we have real trials’

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was blasted on MSNBC for arguing against a fair and impartial Senate trial for President Donald Trump.

Former acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal was interviewed about a new Washington Postcolumn he co-wrote with Prof. Joshua Geltzer, the executive director of the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown Law School.

The two explained a smoking gun email that was revealed on Friday night.

"An email the government had tried to hide but was forced to hand over in a lawsuit shows precisely why testimony from a crucial witness like the Office of Management and Budget’s Michael Duffey can still add critical details to our collective understanding of Trump’s Ukraine misdeeds. Duffey’s email reveals stunning illegality at the direct behest of the White House," the two explained.

"The email in question was sent 91 minutes after Trump’s infamous July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky," they explained. "The timing adds to the considerable body of evidence showing the direct quid pro quo that Trump pushed for, and strongly supports the first of the two articles of impeachment approved by the House. The message reveals that Trump was abusing the power of his office by attempting to withhold congressionally allocated weapons, and the obvious reason he did so was for his personal political gain. But the email goes even further: By directly ordering the Defense Department not to notify Congress about the hold on weapons for Ukraine, the Trump White House was breaking the law."

"In the House, Trump tried to gag every executive branch employee from testifying, no doubt because he was afraid of what they would say. The Senate should not put up with Trump’s ever-escalating coverup. Let the witnesses testify, and let the chips fall where they may," they counseled.

Katyal was asked about the column during an interview with MSNBC's Ayman Mohyeldin.

"And [Trump] is certainly getting some help from the Senate, including people like Mitch McConnell and there is a bit of irony in all of this, in that senators are expected to swear an oath to do impartial justice, but Mitch McConnell doesn't seem to be living up to that. What is your take?" Mohyeldin asked. "What would you say to Mitch McConnell when he makes the argument this is not a judicial process, this is a political process?"

"A trial is after all a legal proceeding and impeachment has political overtones, but no, you can't go out and just announce your verdict before having the trial," he explained.

"I know that's what McConnell is familiar with in Soviet justice, but in this country, we have real trials with witnesses," Katyal reminded. "The idea that you have a trial with no witnesses and have the senate majority leader predetermine and preannounce his results ahead of time, this is a constitutional travesty and Mitch McConnell has shown several times he has no appreciation for the constitution, but I don't think the American people will support such a thing."

McConnell has been nicknamed "Moscow Mitch" for his support of President Vladimir Putin and Russian oligarchs.