Politics

REPORT: McConnell Has Been Privately Asked By Prominent Republicans, Former White House Officials To Convict Trump

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Henry Rodgers Chief National Correspondent
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has reportedly been lobbied by prominent Republicans and former White House officials to support impeaching former President Donald Trump, according to CNN.

“Mitch said to me he wants Trump gone,” a Republican member of Congress reportedly told CNN. “It is in his political interest to have him gone. It is in the GOP interest to have him gone. The question is, do we get there?” The CNN report said the lobbying for impeachment started in the House after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and began to focus on McConnell after the House’s impeachment vote.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Friday that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi will deliver the article of impeachment against Trump Monday to the Senate.

In a floor speech, Schumer said there will be a trial to impeach Trump and that Pelosi would be delivering the article of impeachment next week after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell proposed giving Trump until February to get ready for his impeachment trial in the Senate.

“I have spoken to Speaker Pelosi who informed me that the articles will be delivered to the Senate on Monday,” Schumer said.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) hold a press conference on President Trump’s 2021 Budget Request on February 11, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

The Republican leader said Tuesday that Trump and his allies were responsible for provoking rioters to storm the Capitol and commit acts of vandalism which postponed the electoral college certification process.

Schumer made it clear that he will move forward with the impeachment of Trump in a Tuesday speech. He also called Trump the most “chaotic and divisive president that can ever be remembered.”

He also mentioned three issues he hopes the Senate will tackle in the coming weeks: “a second impeachment trial of Donald Trump, the confirmation of President Biden’s cabinet and other key officials, and legislation to provide much-needed, almost desperately-needed COVID relief.”

McConnell, who has not ruled out voting to convict Trump in a Senate vote, said Trump was directly responsible for provoking the rioters and went on to mention President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris’ inauguration. (RELATED: REPORT: McConnell Believes Trump Committed Impeachable Offenses)

“The last time the Senate convened, we had just reclaimed the Capitol from violent criminals who tried to stop Congress from doing our duty. This mob was fed lies. They were provoked by the president and other powerful people. And they tried to use fear and violence to stop a specific proceeding of the first branch of the federal government which they did not like. But we pressed on,” McConnell said. (RELATED: Pelosi Says Members Of Congress Who ‘Aided And Abetted’ Capitol Rioters Will Be Prosecuted)

The House vote on Jan. 13 was 232-197 with 10 Republicans, including Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, and New York Rep. John Katko, voting to impeach Trump.