Democrats Explode After McConnell Vows “Total Coordination” With White House on Impeachment Strategy
Partisan Democrats and biased journalists who have pushed for President Trump’s impeachment for three years have an attack of the vapors after McConnell refuses to play by their rules.
Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) did an interview on Sean Hannity’s show Thursday night and did not mince words.
He told the Fox News host that when it came to the Senate impeachment trial, there would be “total coordination” between Senate Republican leaders, the White House counsel’s office, and President Trump’s attorneys:
[McConnell] explained that the articles of impeachment would be different from ordinary legislation that makes its way from the House, in that: “We have no choice but to take it up. But we’ll be working through this process hopefully in a fairly short period of time, in total coordination with the White House counsel’s office and the people who are representing the president, in the way all of the Senate.”
“I’m going to take my cues from the president’s lawyers,” said McConnell, who added that a trial would likely take place early next year if the House voted to impeach Trump before its members went home for the holidays.
Watch this segment of the interview below:
Mitch McConnell: Everything I do during this, I’m coordinating with White House Counsel. There will be no difference between the President’s position and our position as to how to handle this pic.twitter.com/baFaTKWvUl
— Acyn (@Acyn) December 13, 2019
McConnell was basically saying what everyone already knows, that he’ll be working closely with the White House’s team of lawyers so everyone is on the same page when it comes to impeachment strategy.
No big deal, right? Wrong.
Democrats – and the mainstream media, naturally – absolutely erupted over the news, treating McConnell’s remarks as though he was violating the Constitution:
“He’s working hand in hand with the White House, with the President’s attorney, and yet we’re supposed to expect him to manage a fair and impartial trial?” said Florida Democratic Rep. Val Demings when asked about McConnell’s remarks. “I think he should recuse himself.”
Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington called the coordination “ridiculous.”
“I think it is outrageous for the chief juror who is organizing the trial to be coordinating with the defendant,” Jayapal told reporters.
Per Axios, other House Democrats also expressed concerns over what McConnell told Hannity, but didn’t go as far as demanding he recuse himself:
I think it was pretty bad for who is essentially the foreman of the jury to announce the verdict. The idea that he is working like that is pretty shameful,” said Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), who sits on the House Judiciary Committee, per the Post.
“It is incumbent on every Senator to ensure that the impeachment trial not become a farce. That depends on whether 4 Republicans will stand up against a ridiculously quick process. Right now, you have head juror McConnell proudly promising that it will be over before it starts,” tweeted Rep. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii).
As far as hyperventilating news outlets go, CNN predictably took the lead and the story was big news on several of their shows Friday, including on their “Outfront” and “New Day” programs.
Perhaps the most hysterical (almost quite literally) among all the CNN reporters who talked about the news was overnight anchor John Vause, who looked like he was about to jump through the screen in outrage.
After playing the clip of McConnell talking to Hannity, Vause exclaimed “so much for checks and balances and an impartial trial. This is like the jury chairman admitting he’s taking his orders from the defendant’s attorneys.” His liberal guest nodded her head in agreement, and as she echoed his point in her own rant, Vause was shaking his head in disgust.
So much for balanced reporting and impartial journalists.
Unfortunately, the clip isn’t embeddable but you can watch the two minute segment here.
The panic was so widespread amongst the Usual Suspects that former Sen. Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) was asked to weigh in Thursday night. He insinuated in his original comments that what McConnell was doing was not appropriate:
… “I had no conversations with the President or his staff during the entire time of the proceedings… Times have changed.” 2/2
— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) December 13, 2019
Hours later, however, Daschle clarified what he told Axios after receiving a friendly reminder from his former staff members about how things were coordinated between his office and the White House during Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial:
. @TomDaschle tells me just now: "My former staff reminded me this morning that while I was not in contact with the White House during the trial, they were. There was a need to coordinate on many levels. So I want to be sure that I didn't give you the wrong impression." https://t.co/d3sAvtM5l7
— Jonathan Swan (@jonathanvswan) December 13, 2019
Nevertheless, the outrage machine stayed in full tilt boogie all day long, and it will remain that way, because this is the modus operandi of the Democrat/media industrial complex. Here’s how it works:
The media/Dems rush to the cameras to declare whatever was said to be “disturbing” or “unlawful” or “hateful.”
Word spreads like wildfire on social media by these same Democrats and/or their handlers and supporters.
The mainstream media amplifies it with breathless “news” coverage for hours/days on end, talking about how we need a “national conversation” or how “Republicans should repudiate” their fellow Republican who said the allegedly offensive remarks, etc.
But then the narrative gets destroyed when we find out what the Republican said was much ado about nothing. By that point, however, it doesn’t matter if corrections or retractions are issued because by then the damage has been done.
Which was the whole point of the exercise to begin with.
This happens over and over again, as “bombshell” after “bombshell” ultimately ends up being a big nothingburger. And yet the media wonders why so many people don’t trust them?
Let’s also pause for a moment and reflect on how utterly laughable it is for partisan Democrats who have banged the impeachment drum for three years to feign outrage over McConnell’s lack of impartiality.
This is especially hilarious considering several of the Democratic candidates who are running for president have called for Trump’s impeachment, including almost all of the Senators in the race.
That doesn’t sound like impartiality to me, does it you? I mean by Rep. Demmings’ standards, Sens. Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, and Bernie Sanders should also recuse themselves from the Senate trial. Right?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: If Democrats didn’t have double standards they’d have no standards at all.
— Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via Twitter. —
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Comments
The trial will be AT LEAST as fair and impartial as the House impeachment inquiry was — where Trump’s lawyers were BARRED from participating, and the Republicans could bring NO witnesses UNLESS Adam Schiff gave his permission. The Democrats and their propagandists on CNN and MSNBC have no legitimate cause for complaint if the Senate Republicans want to lean in the other direction for the sake of fairness.
“Fair” is the weakest of arguments. The Senate must push the facts, especially the fact that supporting facts do not exist.
The left will only argue fairness because that is vague enough to provide some cover for their lies. Perhaps “Show me the facts” is an analog to “Show me the money” and the left is broke.
Libs that why we have 3 co-equal branches of government. it’s not the courts, the Wh and the Senate all controlled by the House.
To label the Democrats as unethical and dishonest does not even begin to cover their behavior. I know the leaders cannot be that stupid, but they apparently think the voters are.
The SWAMP is seriously afraid of Trump and the voters who dared to think they could take their country back to the Constitution.
so much for checks and balances and an impartial trial.
The Senate blocking ridiculous tantrums from the House is a “check and balance”.
“Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington called the coordination ‘ridiculous’”
Hmmmm. I’d call it appropriate. Ridiculous as a descriptor is best applied to the Democrat Party.
The Dims should really just suck it.
I like the part about “Democrats explode”. It will take a disaster restoration crew about a month to clean up all the exploded detritus.
I was a bit disappointed it turned out to be a figure of speech.
If the Founding Fathers had wanted an impeachment trial to be exactly the same as a court trial, they wouldn’t have designated a political body to serve as the jury.
The Democrats hoped to use a political process in a political body to achieve a political outcome — and are outraged to discover that the other side gets to play too.
Payback is a beyotch–and so is that silly Congress critter from Washington State. But then she’s got a lot of company with Karen Bass, Mad Maxine Waters, AOC, Sheila Jackson Lee etc.
The Senate should outright reject the non-Articles. To accept “abuse of power” as an impeachable offense will open every future President to this BS “charge.” And congress does not conduct oversight of the Executive Branch. No trial is necessary given these are made up Articles.
Genuine abuse of power should be impeachable — but the accusers should have more to base the accusation on than hearsay.
“Abuse of power.” When do we get there? 51% of the power is abused? 75%? It is a subjective phrase. There need to be specific, articulable facts defining a crime or crimes which amount to “abuse of power.” I don’t care if the phrase is used to describe a conglomeration of crimes, but I see no such crimes at this point.
If you think the President is abusing power, it’s almost always because you wanted the other side to win. The solution is an election, which is conveniently rather soon, not an impeachment.
Furthermore, since the work of the Executive Branch is, ostensibly, to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed,” and since it’s Congress that passes the laws and appropriates the money, Congress does, as a matter of fact, have oversight power over the Executive Branch.
And impeachment is a process set forth in the Constitution for when all other forms of oversight fail. But that only proves that this impeachment is a rank abuse of power by Congress, because the Democrats made clear that they meant to impeach Trump before he was even in a position to do anything impeachable.
If the congress passes a law and the Senate rejects it, can the congress charge the Senate with obstruction of congress (Or those Senators voting no?) Why not? If a bill clears the House and the President vetoes it, can the President be charged with obstruction of congress, obstruction of the Senate, and obstruction of the House? We’re using different concepts of oversight here. In the specific case of Ukraine, PDJT engaged in his Constitutional Executive Branch duties without breaking any laws. The congress has no oversight over legally executed Presidential duties. One more point (actually two). You know how I know congress has no oversight over the Executive Branch? Because they held eric holder in contempt for flipping them the bird. And when congress held him in contempt, you know what he did then? He flipped them the double birds. He is still a free man, and suffered no ill effects from essentially telling congress GFY.
We want the trial to be long enough so no one is left with the belief that Trump committed a crime or that the Senate just let Trump off because he is a Republican.
I just don’t see the point of doing that in the context of an impeachment trial. Get Trump off the hook, then have hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee where you subpoena everyone including Adam Schiff. Graham has already said he’d do that. But it’s Trump’s call.
I want the Turtle to employ 0bama’s maxim “they bring a knife, we bring a gun”. I want to see flying subpoenas. I want to see a drag down brawl in the mud. Payback can be very sweet. By all means bring it on.
The first three “witnesses” should be Pelosi, Schiff, and Nadler for about two weeks each. Catalog the dozens of lies under oath and charge each of them with whatever fits. It could be fun.
Many, many bags o’popcorn will be consumed (as will many, many bottles of liquor by many, many Democrats). We can expect Kamala Harris and ‘Sparticus’ Booker to flail mightily much to the amusement of the watching (and voting) public.
Gonna be mighty tough for those 2 to remain silent during the trial, as is required of them
How about:
“The Senate will adopt the rules used by the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, after changing all references to the Democrat Party to Republican, to fairly reflect the Republican majority in the Senate, as did their rules reflect the Democrat majority in the House. The Senate will run the trial in exactly the same manner as the Democrats ran the impeachment inquiry. If the Democrats hold that approach to be unfair, tough.”
what I have thought. Use their own rules. and watch the howls
Making maximum use of resources and team work is not any more illegal than the asinine “reasons” given for impeachment.
He wins too much and he ignores us is much closer to the truth.
Bruised ego’s are not a valid cause.
If the Dems now vote for impeachment and force an “enlightening” trial in the Senate, well, they can’t say they weren’t warned.
Given the clown show during the House impeachment process and long before, I’m ok with McConnell’s quote and attitude. If the shoe were on the other front, however, and Pelosi said something along those lines during an Obama-era impeachment inquiry, I’d be outraged myself.
But unless there were concrete and significant gains, I don’t think he should have said it, since I don’t think it well resonate well with political moderates.
D party stooge comments not surprising. This futile effort was only about the ability to wound POTUS in 2020. The d party chose the path now they are stuck to this tar baby.
The Constitution lays out the methods but not the rules for any impeachment. This isn’t a legislative nor judicial process, impeachment is an exercise of a political process. See Federalist 65.
McConnell has already stated he will seek agreement with the d minority in shaping this process but if no agreement is reached he will seek consensus within the R majority. That is not unusual or outrageous. Coordinated rules between POTUS and Senate is not new so that issue is moot.
Personally I would stretch out this farce with every possible witness being deposed and testifying. Let complete transparency allow the voters to see how farcical this is. Should that take several weeks and interfere with certain Senator’s Presidential primary campaign… that is the price of folly.
Maybe use the opportunity to educate voters about the intent of founders related to judicial impeachment as well.
I hope the R’s follow through on their threats… let them subpoena Schiff, Ciaramella, Hunter Biden, et al. Expose the real quid pro quo that went down under the Jugears regime. Enter that video of Gropey Joe bragging about the quid pro quo into evidence and play it on C-SPAN on an endless loop, forcing the Dims to suffer massive bouts of cognitive dissonance.
They can do all that … AFTER impeachment is off the table.
What evidence to Democrats plan to present to the Senate that hasn’t already been made public?
I’m pretty sure that over 40 of the Senate democrats already have their minds made up too
The Democrat Party and their sycophantic creatures in the media are in lock-step coordination in their “… never ending fight for [their] truth, [their[ ‘justice’ and [their] un-American way!”
Instead of exposing all the corrupt players, the Senate is going to whitewash this and protect the swamp base. I don’t expect any witnesses to come forward that will be a bombshell.
I bet you don’t hear Rudy’s name called either because he can blow this thing wide open.
So mconnell shows up for work. Big yip. He’ll stab us in the back first chance he gets paid to.
Imagine a Trumpian in the GOP Senate leadership position this guy is hogging?
The Majority leader is going to have to work out some kind of compromise with Sen. Lindsey Graham who wants to keep this as short as possible.
Cocaine Mitch could say he’s going to string PDJT to a lamp post and the left would be pissed he wasn’t being put into an electric chair.
We need some swat teams hitting schiff’s home at 5 am with a lucky Fox News crew just happening by and luckily getting film.
The process to spin impeachment out of nothing was incredibly abusive and totally partisan. It should be shut down immediately by partisan action in the Senate, slammed shut. No need to call witnesses, if they can’t even present a prima-facie case, we dismiss right?
It’s known as PUSHING BACK! Finally!