House Republicans have resorted to stunts and hijinks to disrupt and distract from the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump -- but their Senate counterparts understand that strategy won't work for them.
The Democratic-led House is widely expected to approve articles of impeachment after the public phase of the inquiry, which begins Wednesday with testimony from two Trump administration diplomats, but GOP senators can't count on the same theatrics employed by House Republicans, reported Politico.
“The House strategy is slash and burn,” said a senior aide to one GOP senator. “‘This is a witch hunt! This is Democrats coming after the president!’ Which is needed, right? They needed the base to shore up to make sure that House Rs shore up, and they’ve done that."
"Any House R who votes to impeach the president — they’re done," the aide added.
But Republicans in the Senate must be mindful that they're defending 23 seats in next year's election, if they want to preserve their majority, and vulnerable senators like Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Susan Collins (R-ME) must at least act like they're giving the charges serious consideration.
"When it moves onto TV and then to the Senate, you need a different strategy," the GOP aide said, "one that targets independents, suburban women and country-club Republicans who don’t love Trump. You need to convince them that we should just wait until Election Day to decide this.”