NY grand jury indicts former President Trump
(CNSNews.com) - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) warned House Democrats on Thursday that "we senators" and the American people have "lost patience" with Speaker Nancy Pelosi's failure to send articles of impeachment over for trial.
"They do not get to trap our entire country into an unending groundhog day of impeachment without resolution."
McConnell said the Senate will "move forward next week" with the people's business if the deliberate delay (22 days and counting) in sending over the articles of impeachment continues.
"We will operate on the assumption that House Democrats are too embarrassed, too embarrassed, to ever move forward. And we will get back to the people's business," McConnell said:
Because this is not just some intramural tiff between two houses in a bicameral legislature. This recklessness affects our entire country," McConnell continued:
When you take a step back, what has really happened over the last three weeks? What has happened? When you take a step back from the political noise and the pundits discussing leverage -- by the way, that never existed -- what have House Democrats actually done?
This, madam president, is what they have done. They have initiated one of the most grave and most unsettling processes in our Constitution, and then refused to allow a resolution of it. The speaker began something that she herself predicted would be so divisive to the country and now she is unilaterally saying it cannot move forward to resolution.
It's bad enough that House Democrats gave into the temptation of subjective impeachment that every previous House, for 230 years, had managed to resist. However unwise, that is their constitutional prerogative. They get to start it if they choose. But they do not get to declare that it can never be finished. They do not get to trap our entire country into an unending groundhog day of impeachment without resolution.
Alexander Hamilton specifically warned against a procrastinated resolution of impeachments. In part, that is because our duly elected president deserves a verdict, just like every American who is accused by their government deserves a speedy trial.
Look, this goes deeper than fairness to one individual. This is about what is fair to the entire country. There's a reason why the Framers did not contemplate a permanently unsettled presidency. That is true under any circumstances, but consider especially the circumstances of recent days.
Even as the Democrats have prolonged this game, we have seen Iran escalate tensions with our nation. We live in a dangerous world. So yes, the House majority can create this temporary cloud over a commander-in-chief if they choose -- if they choose. But they do not get to keep the cloud in place forever.
So look, there is real business for the American people that the United States Senate needs to complete. If the Speaker continues to refuse to take her own accusations to trial, the Senate will move forward next week with the business of our people.
We will operate on the assumption that House Democrats are too embarrassed, too embarrassed, to ever move forward. And we will get back to the people's business.
McConnell mentioned the USMCA trade deal, the opioid epidemic, and a war powers debate as some of the issues the Senate needs to take up.
"The Senate has plenty of serious work to do for our country. While the Speaker continues her irresponsible games, we'll continue doing the people's business," he added.