If you either yawn or wave away in disgust every hopeful sign displayed by Senator Susan Collins of Maine, you certainly are in good company. Yet, it is still important to follow what she says when it comes to the upcoming impeachment trial.
Speaking to reporters on Friday at the end of a visit to the Fruit Street School in Bangor, Collins said she had been working all week with a “fairly small group” of Republican senators and party leaders to ensure trial rules would allow House impeachment managers and Trump’s lawyers to call witnesses.
Collins declined to say how large the group was, but she said “we should be completely open to calling witnesses.”
“I am hopeful that we can reach an agreement on how to proceed with the trial that will allow the opportunity for both the House and the president’s counsel if they choose to do so,” she said.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wrangled his caucus into agreeing to start the impeachment trial without any commitment to allow witnesses, but that doesn’t mean he necessarily has the votes to prevent them from ever appearing.
On Friday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi informed her caucus that she will ask Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler to push forward the impeachment articles next week. That probably means that the trial will begin immediately after the MLK Jr. holiday on Monday.
McConnell will want to push things along quickly and win a fast acquittal, but it’s not clear if he’ll really be able to control events. At least initially, the House prosecutors will have to proceed without the benefit of the testimony of key witnesses, and then there will be a second vote at some point. Only then will we know if McConnell has the power to crush Collins’s aspirations for something resembling an actual trial.
Anyone putting any faith in Susan Collins is insane. We all know what’s going to happen.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Pelosi and McConnell cut a deal whereby Pelosi sends the articles of impeachment over to the Senate next week; McConnell starts the trial, and one of the first orders of business is voting on whether to call a select group of witnesses, and that vote passes with Collins and a handful of her Republican colleagues.
Once again, the most undercovered story in Washington politics over the past decade is the complete and utter failure of centrist Republicans to use their power to form a Blue Dog-like caucus to advance a centrist/conservative agenda.
That vote may happen, but it will not have quite enough votes and Collins will furrow her brow.
I wouldn’t trust Collins any further than I could spit against the wind tonight (enjoying some very April-like severe weather this early January night).
Why is pelosi not waiting until after the state of the union address to send over the impeachment articles? I was hoping Trump would have to give his little speech before he is acquitted.
For the most part, Pelosi has played this pretty smart. I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt for now.
It’s not clear that I couldn’t replace Aaron Rogers when he finally retires but I think we all know how events would go if I applied for the job.