Majority leader Mitch McConnell told FOX and Friends this morning he was not against calling witnesses.
The Kentucky Senator gave Democrats some hope that they will be able to call in new witnesses they were not able to call in during the House slapdash impeachment trial.
Dylan Stableford from Yahoo reported:
The standoff over President Trump’s impeachment trial continued Monday, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi repeating her demand for a “fair” trial before sending the two articles of impeachment to the Senate, while the two parties dug in on their conditions, including the question of whether to call witnesses and whom they should be.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would consider hearing from witnesses, but gave no indication he would accede to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s demand for testimony from key administration aides including former national security adviser John Bolton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney. The White House had blocked them and other administration officials from testifying in the House impeachment inquiry.
McConnell has said he would coordinate his conduct of the trial with Trump, who has called for summoning a very different cast of witnesses, including former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
Appearing on “Fox & Friends,” McConnell said “we haven’t ruled out witnesses,” insisting he wants Trump’s case to be handled just as the Senate conducted President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial in 1999. That would include opening statements, written questions and answers, and then a decision on which witnesses would be called.
