Dick Durbin: Senators have ‘gone too far’ in saying how they will vote before Senate trial has begun

Dick Durbin: Senators have ‘gone too far’ in saying how they will vote before Senate trial has begun

[ad_1]

Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois specifically called out Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who have both said they won’t be impartial or fair jurors, because they believe the impeachment process is political.

“How can they hold their hands up and say I swear impartial justice, I’d would like to sit at the manager’s table with the President’s team? You can’t do that. They shouldn’t have done it,” Durbin told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”

'We're all trying to get up to speed': How senators are preparing -- and what they're reading -- to get ready for an impeachment trial

When Bash pointed out that Democrats have done the same, Durbin replied, “Well they shouldn’t.”

“As far as I’m concerned, they can tell which way they are leaning or how they feel in terms of the probability, but when it comes to saying I’ve made up my mind, it is all over, for goodness sakes, that is not what the Constitution envisioned,” Durbin, who was also in the Senate during the Clinton impeachment trial, argued.

“Alexander Hamilton said we give this job to the Senate because they are quote independent and dignified. For goodness sake, let’s do our best to meet those standards,” he added.

On Wednesday, the House voted largely along party lines to impeach President Donald Trump. A Senate trial is expected to start next month, but House Democrats have held off on sending the two articles of impeachment, and appointing impeachment managers, to the Senate — saying they won’t do so until they see a “fair” structure for the trial.
Trump accuses Democrats of 'violating Constitution' after they followed constitutional process in impeachment

The Senate’s impeachment trial of Trump is likely to end with his acquittal since conviction would require 20 Republicans to side with Democrats. There’s no sign that any Republican senators are ready to vote to remove Trump from office.

Durbin said on Sunday that Democrats are hoping for the support of at least four Republican senators, believing it could make a big difference. But Durbin said he has not yet identified those four GOP senators.

“I’ve not whipped them, or twisted their arms, or asked hard questions,” Durbin said. “I’ve spoken to a few of them. They tell me the political circumstances now in the Republican caucus are really very extreme in terms of this loyalty to the President no matter what.”

[ad_2]

Source link

More

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Dick Durbin: Senators have 'gone too far' in saying how they will vote before Senate trial has begun

 

Log In

Or with username:

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.