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Thursday, 28 March 2024

Pelosi will send impeachment articles 'when I'm ready'

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Pelosi will send impeachment articles 'when I'm ready'
Pelosi will send impeachment articles 'when I'm ready'

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday said she would transmit the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump when she is ready, adding that House Democrats still need to see the Senate's planned rules for the impeachment trial.

Jonah Green reports.

SOUND BITE (ENGLISH) REPORTER, ASKING: "Are you holding the articles indefinitely?" SOUND BITE (ENGLISH) HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI, SAYING: "No, I’m not holding them indefinitely.

I’ll send them over when I’m ready.

And that will probably be soon." Despite facing increasing pressure to send the articles of impeachment to the Senate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday says she’s not budging until she knows how the Republican-led Senate will run a trial.

SOUND BITE (ENGLISH) HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI, SAYING: “All we want to know is what are the rules?

It doesn’t mean we have to agree to the rules or we have to like the rules, we just want to know what they are.” The Democratic-led House last month impeached President Trump on two articles of impeachment — abuse of power for pressuring Ukraine to announce a corruption investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden and obstruction of Congress.

But Pelosi so far has resisted sending the articles to the Senate, which would trigger the start of the trial.

While Democrats press for guarantees the Senate will allow witness testimony, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he plans to defer any decision on witnesses until after the trial starts.

SOUND BITE (ENGLISH) HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI, SAYING: “They don’t want documentation.

They don’t want witnesses.

They may want a dismissal, which is proof that they cannot — cannot — clear the president of wrongdoing.” Now – three weeks later – Republicans accuse the Speaker of being less than sincere when she says holding Trump accountable is a matter of urgency.

SOUND BITE (ENGLISH) REP.

KEVIN MCCARTHY, SAYING: “I just listened to Speaker Pelosi say she wasn’t moving them yet.

I’m not sure if she’s embarrassed of the work being done, or if she lied to us about it being urgent.” SOUND BITE (ENGLISH) SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL, SAYING: “We will operate on the assumption that House Democrats are too embarrassed to ever move forward.” SOUND BITE (ENGLISH) HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI, SAYING: “I think we should move smartly and strategically.” Pelosi on Thursday said that withholding the articles has given time for new revelations that boost Democrats’ case to come out, and this week Trump's former national security advisor John Bolton said that if subpoenaed by the Senate, he would testify.

Trump on Thursday said he had a few witnesses of his own he'd like to call.

SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) US PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP, SAYING: “I’’m going to leave it to the Senate, but I’d like to hear the whistleblower, I’d like to hear shifty Schiff, I’d like to hear Hunter Biden, and Joe Biden.” Senate Democrats are trying to peel off a few moderate Republicans to help them negotiate terms for the Senate trial and call witnesses, but so far have come up short.

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