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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said during her weekly press conference on Thursday that she would not hold the articles of impeachment “indefinitely,” but added that she still wanted to see the “manner” in which Senate Republicans intended to conduct the trial of Donald Trump.
"We are proud of our defense of the Constitution of the United States. We are concerned that the senators will not be able to live up to the oath that they must take to have an impartial trial,” Pelosi told reporters. “I'll send them over when I'm ready,” she responded when asked about a time frame, adding that would “probably be soon.”
Pelosi pounded Senate Republicans for wanting to forgo witnesses and other evidence in trial. “Documentation, witnesses, facts, truth, that is what they're afraid of,” she said.
She ticked through several of the significant revelations that have emerged since the House of Representatives voted to impeach Donald Trump, including emails showing Trump’s direct involvement in the scheme to extort Ukraine, emails detailing Pentagon concerns about the legality of freezing congressionally approved security assistance for the country, and former national security adviser John Bolton’s willingness to testify if subpoenaed by the Senate.
These developments, Pelosi said, “necessitate a fair trial with documents and witnesses.”
“They don’t want documents. They don’t want witnesses. They may want a dismissal, which is proof that they cannot clear the president of the wrongdoing,” the speaker said.
“We are ready,” Pelosi noted, but added that the “impasse” has been caused by the refusal of Senate Republicans to share the details of how they plan to proceed.
Some reporters on Capitol Hill were quick to declare a victory for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell when he claimed earlier this week that he had the GOP votes to proceed to trial without any Democrats. But Pelosi still holds the reins and is poised to win, no matter when she chooses to transmit the articles. In many ways, Bolton’s emergence as a potential witness alone means she won this round.