Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski ‘disturbed’ by McConnell’s coordination with White House

Murkowski said McConnell had “confused the process” by saying he was acting in “total coordination” with the White House on setting the parameters for the trial.

“And in fairness, when I heard that, I was disturbed,” Murkowski told KTUU, a CNN affiliate.

Murkowski’s comments are notable, because following House Republicans’ unanimous vote last week to oppose the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, Senate Republicans have given no public indication that there is any dissent among their ranks. As a moderate, Murkowski, who opposed Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court, will be closely watched during the upcoming trial, and she told KTUU she is undecided as to how she’ll vote.

Republicans sources told CNN that McConnell is open to going to the Senate floor without support from the Democratic Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer on a rule to conduct the impeachment trial. McConnell would need the support of 51 GOP senators to approve such a rule — support that Republicans believe he would be able to lock down.

McConnell’s preference is to cut a bipartisan deal with Schumer, like the one that was reached during the Clinton trial, and there is an expectation that the two men will still try to discuss a bipartisan way forward as the Senate gets back into session in January, GOP sources said.

But if they can’t reach a deal, McConnell almost certainly would go to the floor to set the procedures for the trial. Republicans say they want the articles transmitted first from the House to the Senate to begin that process.

In her interview with KTUU, Murkowski also criticized the House impeachment process as rushed and incomplete.

“Speaker Pelosi was very clear, very direct that her goal was to get this done before Christmas,” Murkowski said.

“If the House truly believe that they had information that was going to be important, they subpoena them, and if they ignore the subpoena as they did at the direction of the White House, then that next step is to go to the courts,” she added.

Murkowski said she was looking for a “full and fair process” that uses the Clinton impeachment as a model. She added that she’s undecided as to how she’ll vote on whether to remove Trump from office, saying it would be “wrong” of her to make up her mind before the trial begins.

“For me to prejudge and say there’s nothing there or on the other hand, he should be impeached yesterday, that’s wrong, in my view. That’s wrong,” she said.