Even Republicans Are 'Disturbed' By Mitch McConnell's Impeachment Stance

President Donald Trump was officially impeached by the Residence of Representatives this month, on the grounds of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Nevertheless we won't know what will come of these votes up until soon after Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) sends the articles of impeachment to the Senate — and the Congresswoman seems to be holding on to them for the time being. And right now it seems that the more Trump rails against Pelosi and what he claims is a "scam impeachment," and the more other Republicans rush to assist him, the more the cracks are starting to show.


Key to that defense now is Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who on December 19 told Fox News, “Everything I do throughout this [process], I’m coordinating with the White Home counsel. There will be no difference between the president’s position and our position as to how to performer name this to the extent that we can.”


The Senate doesn't decide whether or not the president is impeached — the Residence has already done that, and it's up to the Senate to decide whether or not the President will be removed from office, or acquitted of the expenses against him, which they do while in a trial where Senators act as jury. (Both Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton were acquitted in their impeachment trials, the former as the vote fell just short of the two-thirds supermajority need for removal.) So for McConnell to mention that he's working with the White Home suggests that the upcoming trial might be skewed — immediately considering that, how fair is a trial whenever one or more members of the jury is openly taking cues from the defendant's team?


Those comments have right now sounded alarm bells for at least one Republican senator: Lisa Murkowski (AK), who told local NBC affiliate KTUU, "In fairness, any time Whenever I heard that, I was disturbed."


Murkowski is referred to as a moderate Republican, and was the only Republican to oppose Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation as a Supreme Court Justice in 2018. She's also sticking to what she believes is a fundamental need to be impartial while in the trial, which she says "means that we have to take that step back from being hand in glove with the defense."


"I heard what leader McConnell had mentioned — I happened to think that that has further confused the process," she added.


That isn't to mention that we know how Murkowski will vote any time it's time for the Senate to cast their votes and potentially end Trump's presidency. "For me to prejudge and mention there’s nothing there or on the other hand, he should be impeached yesterday, that’s wrong, in my view, that’s wrong," she mentioned. She also mentioned she disagrees with how Residence Democrats, led by Pelosi, pushed impeachment through.


"Speaker Pelosi was very clear, very direct that her objective was to get this done before Christmas," she added, noting that she would have preferred the Residence force John Bolton, former national security adviser, and White Home Chief of Personnel Mick Mulvaney to testify; both ignored the House's subpoena and did not testify right following the White Home directed them not to. (That directive to Mulvaney specifically was cited in the articles of impeachment, adding further ground to Democrats' claims that Trump acted improperly.) "How we [the Senate] will deal with witnesses," Murkowski mentioned, "remains to be seen."


The Republican party currently holds a majority presence in the Senate, with 53 seats to Democrats' 47. There really are plenty of ways the Senate's vote could go, however the most sincere would still require every Democrat, and 20 more Republicans, to vote in favor of removal.