US Senate leaders Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader, and Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat, are scheduled to meet on Thursday to discuss the process for a Senate trial in the impeachment of President Donald Trump, MSNBC reported.
A majority of members of the US House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to impeach Trump for abuse of power, setting up a Senate trial on removing him from office.
McConnell said in remarks on the Senate floor on Thursday that the House impeachment “risks deeply damaging the institutions of American government,” saying the Democratic-controlled House “has let its partisan rage at this particular president create a toxic new precedent that will echo well into the future.”
The House impeached Trump on two charges—abusing his power and obstructing Congress—stemming from his pressure on Ukraine to announce investigations of his political rival as he withheld US aid.
McConnell said the two articles failed to meet the constitutional standard of high crimes and misdemeanors and that the House simply impeached a political foe for an abuse of power offense that isn’t considered a crime.
Trump will now face a trial in the Senate, where Republicans have a majority and removal from office is unlikely.
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