Will cut to the chase — “Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, has told associates that he believes President Trump committed impeachable offenses and that he is pleased that Democrats are moving to impeach him, believing that it will make it easier to purge him from the party, according to people familiar with his thinking. The House is voting on Wednesday to formally charge Mr. Trump with inciting violence against the country.”
www.nytimes.com/…
This feels like an inflection point
UPDATES:
Axios reports late today that McConnell is likely (but not certain) to support ridding the nation of Trump: “There's a better than 50-50 chance that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would vote to convict President Trump in an impeachment trial, sources tell Axios. What they're saying: ‘The Senate institutional loyalists are fomenting a counterrevolution’ to Trump, said a top Republican close to McConnell. . . . Axios is told McConnell sees this fight as his legacy — defending the Senate and the institution against the verbal attack of the president and the literal attack of his followers.”
www.axios.com/...
CNN confirms the Times report and says McConnell vote would ensure conviction:
“McConnell has made no commitments on voting to convict Trump, and wants to see the article itself before voting. . . .
McConnell has been steadily moving his conference away from Trump for weeks. While he knows they all aren't there with him, the Kentucky Republican believes the party needs to turn the page.
Several GOP sources said on Tuesday that if McConnell supports conviction, Trump almost certainly will be convicted by 67 senators in the impeachment trial
‘If Mitch is a yes, he's done,’ said one Senate GOP source who asked not to be named.”
Nothing done yet, but, a lot of signaling going on here.