Washington — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is holding her weekly press conference on Capitol Hill on Thursday morning, as pressure mounts from Republicans and some Democrats to deliver impeachment articles to the Senate and begin President Trump’s trial.
Pelosi has said the House will not deliver the articles to the Senate until Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell publishes a resolution laying out the rules for the trial. McConnell said on the Senate floor Thursday that the upper chamber would move on to its legislative agenda if Pelosi continues to withhold the articles.
“The House Majority can create this temporary cloud over a commander in chief if they choose — if they choose — but they do not get to keep the cloud in place forever,” he said.
McConnell announced Tuesday that Republicans have the votes to pass the organizing resolution determining the rules of the trial, which would mirror the procedures used in the Clinton impeachment trial. The resolution would allow for opening statements from House prosecutors and the president’s defense team before the Senate votes on whether to call witnesses or consider new evidence. Democrats have pushed for an agreement on witnesses and evidence before a trial gets underway.
How to watch Pelosi’s press conference
- What: Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s weekly press conference
- Date: Thursday, January 9, 2020
- Time: 10:45 a.m. ET
- Location: U.S. Capitol
- Online stream: Live on CBSN – in the player above and on your mobile or streaming device
A growing number of fellow Democrats have said in recent days that the time to proceed with the trial has come, including Representative Adam Smith, chairman of the powerful House Armed Services Committee. Smith told CNN on Thursday that he believes “it is time to send impeachment to the Senate and let Mitch McConnell be responsible for the fairness of the trial. He ultimately is.”
Asked to respond to Smith’s comments before her press conference on Thursday, Pelosi said she is “a big fan of his” and is not concerned about losing the support of members of the Democratic caucus.
Smith quickly tried to walk back his comments, tweeting that he “misspoke” and believes “we should do everything we can to force the Senate to have a fair trial.”
Pelosi’s conference also comes ahead of a vote Thursday on a resolution to limit Mr. Trump’s authority to strike Iran under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, as Democrats attempt to reassert Congress’ constitutional authority to declare war amid a tense standoff.
Pelosi unveiled the resolution on Wednesday, saying it would be sent to the House floor for a vote on Thursday. The resolution is sponsored by Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, a freshman Democrat and former analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency and the Department of Defense.
The president authorized a strike on Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani last week without consulting or notifying Congress, incurring outrage from Democratic lawmakers as well as some Republicans.
