McConnell Claims He Has the Votes to Set Senate Trial Rules Without Dem Cooperation

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) has whipped the 51 votes required to establish the rules for President Trump’s impending impeachment trial without a concrete agreement on witnesses, according to multiple reports.

McConnell told colleagues during a closed-door lunch on Tuesday that he had secured the necessary backing to begin President Trump’s impeachment trial, according to the Washington Post. Politico first reported that Republicans were growing increasingly confident in their ability to set the trial parameters without input from Democrats.

The decision comes despite protests from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.), who said that “Republicans may run but they can’t hide” from the question of whether witnesses and documents will be called in the trial.

“There will be votes at the beginning on whether to call the four witnesses we’ve proposed and subpoena the documents we’ve identified,” Schumer declared. Democrats have argued continuously that White House officials who have first-hand knowledge of President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, such as former adviser John Bolton, should be required to testify during the trial. Bolton said Monday that he would testify if subpoenaed.